It was an ordinary day. Reading a story written by Al Stuart in the Living Section of my Sunday Newspaper titled "Proud Son's family has tie to Sept. 11, both 1776 and 2001".... As the country prepares to commemorate once again the tragic events of 9/11, there has been another Sept. 11 event of which not many Americans are aware and that has been memorialized annually for more than half a century. In 1776, on that same date, our nation's founding fathers, including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, met with British representatives to try and end the Revolutionary War. Though unsucessful, it was America's first peace conference. It was held at the Billopp House, built circa 1680, less than a mile from Tottenville, Staten Island. It's now known as the Conference House and registered as a National Historic Landmark. Starting in 1976, my mother, Gloria Stuart, was a charter member of the Conference House Association Auxiliary. She also served on the Conference House Asso. Board of Directors starting in 1996 - most recently as treasurer. Visitors to the many fundraising and peace conference reenactments events she facilitated and experienced the results of her energy, diligence and leadership. In September 2021, during the annual Sept. 11, 1776, peace conference reenactment, she was recognized for her almost 50 years of volunteer service with the award of a borough president's "Gloria Stuart Day" proclamation. Sadly, my Mom passed away unexpectedly this past March at age 94, surrounded by family. Given her good health and active independent living in her 1855 historic Tottenville home, we thought she would be with us so much longer. But during and since the late March celebrations of her full life with friends and family, I have reflected on the values of love of country, public service and self-sacrifice that she and my Dad lived by. My Dad, Al Stuart Sr., who passed away shortly after his retirement as a fire Marshall with the Fire Dept. of NY in 1992, had been the first U.S. Navy reservist on Staten Island to have been recalled to active duty for the Korean conflict. Upon his return from combat operations, on board the aircraft carrier USS Leyte in 1951, my Mom traveled to Norfolk as the elected "Queen of the Leyte," helping the ship celebrate its successful deployment in defense of America's freedom. Fast-forward to September 2001. Our next-door neighbor in Tottenville, John Chiluba, perished in the World Trade Center along with several other Staten Island firefighters with whom I had grown up. A U.S. Marine who had survived the 1983 military barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, John would become a New York City police detective, and then transfer to the Fire Department of New York, giving his life on 9/11 as he answered the call after a midnight shift at his ladder company in Brooklyn. My Mom later worked hard to support the John G. Chipura Foundation, which was founded by his brother, retired FDNY Captain Gerard Chiluba, whom my Mom rightfully treated as her second son. Gerard and my youngest sister, Patti, were Tottenville H.S. classmates. Another high school friend of theirs would notably become one of the three firefighters who raised that now-famous American flag at Ground Zero. My four sisters and I had hoped that our Mom would still be with us in September 2026 to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation's first peace conference. But, I and the rest of our family, along with many friends, have been celebrating a life well lived and so characterized by dedicated service to family, community, God and country. Remembering our Dad, as well, given his Navy and FDNY service, I am proud to say that I am Gloria and Al's son. The following photograph is Gloria Stuart, who died earlier this year and was an active volunteer with the Conference House, the historic site of the nation's first peace conference on September 11, 1776. It's in Tottenville, Staten Island, New York.
The author of this story, Al Stuart, is a Tottenville, Staten Island native, defense department information technology consultant and 30-plus year resident of nearby Willow Street, PA. He is a retired Navy Captain with 11 years as submarine officer and almost 20 years of Naval reserve service, including 10 years as a senior liaison officer to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He supported 9/11 emergency response operators at the Pentagon in September 2001. To learn more about the Nation's first peace conference, and the Conference House, visit conference-house.org. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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