To the Editor:
“No student at Fairfield University was affected more by the Sept. 11 attacks than Sharon Hoey, ’04. Patrick A. Hoey, Sharon’s father and a Port Authority of New York employee, was killed that day.”
Those are some very bold statements; untrue, but bold. My name is Brian Callahan and I am a freshman here. My father, Liam Callahan, also died on Sept. 11. He was a police officer for the Port Authority. Sharon Hoey was not the only student to lose someone.
Granted, you state later that Sharon was the only current undergraduate student to lose someone on Sept. 11, but did you ever consider the possibility that one of the large number of incoming students might have lost someone on Sept. 11? That is quite a large possibility to overlook. I am not sure if I am the only other student to have lost someone, I won’t make that assumption. If there are others, I think that they are as angered as I am.
“Victim” or not, I would say that this article has caught others off guard. I know friends of mine were upset by reading this article, and I would bet that many students here on campus have friends who have lost someone and would be upset.
From the tone of your article, you make it seem like Sept. 11 was a tragedy exclusive to Sharon and her family. Sept. 11 was a national tragedy which has affected people all over.
Also, you listed Sharon as working for the Port Authority of New York. It is the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority has been greatly overlooked when it comes to its losses. The Port Authority lost 37 police officers, more than the highly publicized New York Police Department which lost 25. The Port Authority as a corporation lost even more highly important members of the company. The World Trade Center was built and owned by the Port Authority, a fact that many people are unaware of or seem to over look.
The Mirror is supposed to be the voice of the student body and the school. This article is an awfully poor reflection of what you are trying to accomplish. I am very upset by this article and will have to think hard before I consider The Mirror a reputable piece of journalism.
Sincerely,
Brian Callahan, ’06
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