THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 11, 2026 Page 9 The Sounds of Saugus David DiMeglio: a former Saugus resident, then 22, was living in Wakefield and was among the 81 passengers on American Flight 11 that was commandeered by five alQaida terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center’s North Tower, killing all on board. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) Gertrude “Trudi” Alagero: a 37-year-old Saugus High School graduate from the Class of 1982 who died in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, during the terrorist attack when hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the northern facade of the tower. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus T oday (Friday, Sept. 11) marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. It involved four hijacked airliners in coordinated attacks by the Islamic terrorist organization al-Qaeda. Two planes crashed into the Twin Towers and another was flown into the Pentagon building, which houses the nation’s Department of Defense, in Arlington, Va. There was a passenger mutiny on the fourth jet, which crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa., instead of its intended target – believed to be the U.S. Capitol or the White House. The Saugus Fire Department is expected to have its normal ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at Saugus Fire Headquarters at 27 Hamilton St. Meanwhile, Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta and former Selectman Corinne Riley are coordinating a special 9-11 remembrance event at 6 p.m. in front of Saugus Town Hall. Remembering Saugus’ ties to 9/11 The event, now known as 9/11, hit close to home. Saugus was one of those American communities that experienced the tragedy, pain and suffering of the worst terrorist attack in the nation’s history. One of four SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, REMEMBRANCE: It’s been 25 years since the Islamic terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Towers in New York City, which has become known all over the world as 9/11. There’s a monument on the Hamilton Street side of Saugus Town Hall that pays tribute to Gertrude “Trudi” Alagero and David DiMeglio, two former Saugus residents who were among the 2,753 victims who perished that day. The town will host a special ceremony in front of Saugus Town Hall at 6 p.m. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) commercial airliners hijacked that day became the first to hit its target, crashing into the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan. A monument on the Hamilton Street side of Saugus Town Hall forever links the community to the national tragedy of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which claimed close to 3,000 lives that day. Two former Saugus residents were among the victims who were killed 25 years ago. The monument, which is inscribed with the date and “God Bless America,” pays tribute to Gertrude “Trudi” Alagero and David DiMeglio, who died in New York City during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Towers. KILLED AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER: Gertrude M. “Trudi” Alagero, 37, a 1982 Saugus High School graduate, was a senior vice president and practice leader for Marsh Private Client Services, a division of Marsh & McLennan. Alagero was working out of an office on the 94th floor of the North Tower at World Trade Center (also known as Tower 1). At 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the northern facade of the North Tower. Marsh & McLennan had more than 800 working on floors 93 through 100 – the part of the building that was in the flight path of the first hijacked airliner to crash into the World Trade Center Towers. More than 350 Marsh & McLennan workers – including Alagero – perished in the attack. KILLED IN PLANE CRASH: David DiMeglio, a former Saugus resident, then 22, was living in Wakefield and was among the 81 passengers on American Flight 11 that was commandeered by five al-Qaida terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center’s North Tower shortly before 9 a.m. on Sept. 11. He was headed west to help his mother move. He had completed computer school and had planned to start a business in computer services. Saugus United Parish Food Pantry The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry will be open today (Friday, September 11) from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. The food pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Friday mornings. Volunteers are also welcome. Please call the Food Pantry Office (781-233-2663) or go to the website (cliftondalecc. org) for details. This week’s “Shout Outs” We received two “shout outs” from Joyce Rodenhiser: “On Saturday the Persons of the Year for 2026 will be announced in front of the Town Hall at noon. Come to find out who they will be! These are all your neighbors who have given to Saugus in many ways and perhaps you have been a recipient of their kindnesses.” The second “Shout Out” was for neighbors who helped an animal in distress: “My neighbor has a 6 foot privacy fence which is quite near the picket fence in our yard. Brody burrowed his canine way out from under the privacy fence and found himself between our 2 fences. He looked left and saw a wall, looked right and saw a garage! So Brody stayed where he was and barked a lot!! When we saw his predicament we went to tell his babysitter and on the way told a neighbor. Cathy Kirk told her husband who came right away to help rescue Brody! The room between the fences is just big enough for a person to fit into. Kevin Kirk went between the fences and got Brody out just in time for his babysitter to bring a leash and take him home! Cathy came with her car in case Brody was injured which he was not!! So let’s Shout Out praises for Kevin and Cathy, please!” Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Here are a few important community events for your calendar: • Tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 12), the 45th Annual Saugus Founder’s Day celebration will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside Saugus Town Hall and continuing down Central Street and Taylor Street. It’s been called the town’s biggest fundraising event for nonprofit agencies and various commuTHE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 12
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