Old Glory Moves Into A New Home

By Shannon Hicks

Newtown resident Howard Lasher memorialized those who perished in the September 11, 2001, tragedy, including ten personal friends and associates at the American Stock Exchange in New York City, when he commissioned the artist David Merrill to create a living memorial: an American flag painted across six trees in the front yard of his Dodgingtown Road home in October 2001.

The flag has since become a familiar sight to regular passersby along Route 302, and has been captured by countless photographers since their creation. Among those is Carol Gibson, a Bethel photographer who created a large photo of the memorial, calling her image “Old Glory,” a copy of which Mr Lasher acquired and donated a few years ago to the American Stock Exchange.

Mr Lasher recently retired after 43 years on the American Stock Exchange, known as Amex, where he was a senior executive. He was also the founder and president of The Lasher Group.

His framed photo, which formerly hung in the lobby of the Amex building, was acquired by New York Stock Exchange when it took over Amex, and Mr Lasher was invited to see its placement in its new home on April 29.

The donation of the framed photo of “Old Glory” will forever honor the memory of Rudy Bacchus, Patrick Dickinson, Andrew Golkin, Emeric Harvey, Michael Pascuma, Jr, John Schroeder, Thomas Sullivan, Robert Sutcliffe, Michael Tamuccio, and Robert Twomey — Mr Lasher’s friends and Wall Street associates — along with every other person who perished on 9/11.

“They thought the photo represented some very emotional moments,” Mr Lasher said of the NYSE’s decision to add the photograph and an accompanying plaque with the men’s names to its permanent collection.