Hofstra 9/11 Service Honors Alums From West Hempstead

When Jason Cefalu, of West Hempstead, attended Hofstra University, he was a member of the Young Republicans. After graduation, he went on to become a bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald.

Jeffrey W. Dingle came to the college after attaining All-American status in football and track at West Hempstead High School.

Both men perished in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and were among the graduates remembered Monday afternoon at a ceremony held at Hofstra.

Kevin W. Donnelly, longtime volunteer with the , was among the 26 Hofstra alums and one student who were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.  Donnelly, a longtime Levittown resident who was living in Long Beach at the time of the 2001 terrorist attacks, was a lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) with Ladder Company 3. The name of Donnelly, who Sunday had a street in his honor next to the Wantagh Fire Department Station 6, is inscribed on a Hofstra 9/11 memorial designed as a phoenix.

Many of the Hofstra alums honored at Monday’s service were from the Town of Hempstead including former Atlantic Beach resident Neil Levin, who was Executive Director for the Port Authority at the time of his tragic death. Others from Nassau County’s South Shore honored at Monday’s 10-year memorial service at Hofstra included:

• Noel Maerz of Long Beach, a star quarterback at Hofstra in the mid 90’s who was employed with Euro Brokers Inc.

• Richard Fitzsimons of Lynbrook, who served as Fire Safety Director for the World Trade Center.
•  Andrew Stern of Bellmore, a broker in Cantor Fitzgerald's municipal bond department

In addition to having their names inscribed on Hofstra’s 9/11 memorial , the school has also created endowed scholarships in memory of all 27 members of the university community lost in the terrorist attacks that go toward deserving students each year.

“We were and we are determined to keep alive the memories of those 27 Hofstra family members we lost that day,” said Hofstra University president Stuart Rabinowitz during remarks at Monday’s service in front of the university’s memorial site. “Every new generation of Hofstra students will have scholarship recipients who will carry forward the name of each victim and know about their legacies.”