A little more than two years ago, I returned to Boston from Washington, DC, where my reporting beat had included checking in frequently with families of the victims of terrorism — among them, Stephen Flatow, the father of Alisa Flatow, a Brandeis student killed by a suicide bomber in 1995, and Susan Cohen, the mother of Theodora Cohen, a Syracuse University student killed in the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing. When I came back to Boston to cover politics, I didn’t think I’d have much contact with terror victims. I settled into an apartment in Brighton, after a meeting with my future landlord and her daughter at a local Dunkin’ Donuts.

Never in my most hysterical and terror-obsessed imaginings did I expect that woman and her daughter to join the likes of Flatow and Cohen. But that changed, with so much else, on September 11. My landlord is Margaret "Peg" Ogonowski of Dracut, and the young woman she brought with her that day is Laura, the eldest of her three daughters. Ogonowski’s husband, John, was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, which was hijacked by terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center — a fact I learned from the television news on that dreadful day. Ogonowski, a Vietnam veteran, hit a switch that enabled air-traffic controllers to hear what was happening in the plane.

The Ogonowski daughters are three of more than 30 children in the Greater Boston area who lost a parent September 11. In fact, after New York City and Washington, DC, Massachusetts is the region most affected by the terrorist attacks, particularly the Merrimack Valley. Congressman Marty Meehan has taken note of the losses and is creating an educational foundation to benefit victims who live in his district. The foundation will be chaired by Nikki Tsongas, the wife of former senator Paul Tsongas, who had to raise her three daughters after her husband’s death in 1997.

"The money would go to whatever educational expenses that they may have. The idea is to try to get any kind of help to the children," says Meehan. (Meehan hopes that his foundation will augment the benefits that families receive from the Red Cross, United Way and other charities.) The foundation will focus on everything from putting college money away for children not even born when their fathers were killed to sponsoring summer camps for the children and paying tuitions for those who need the money immediately.

In order to raise Meehan’s goal of $300,000, organizers have scheduled a benefit concert December 5, to be held at Lowell’s Tsongas Arena. Big-name rockers, such as David Crosby, former Eagle Don Henley, and Grammy nominee Tracy Bonham, will perform. (Meehan and Henley met during the high-profile fight to save Walden Woods.)

Meehan intends to divvy up the money as soon it’s raised. Both the Red Cross and United Way have been criticized for their slow distribution of donations. "This isn’t going to be something we’re going to keep over time," Meehan says. "We’re going to get it out right now."

The Fifth District Benefit Concert will be held Wednesday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m., at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell. Tickets are $35 to $1000. Call Ticketmaster at (617) 931-2000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Issue Date: November 29 - December 6, 2001

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