Mural makes coast-to-coast connection
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ABERDEEN, Wash. — Not a day goes by at the Aberdeen (Wash.) Fire Department that firefighters don't think of their comrades in New York City. Every time they race down a stairwell to their fire engines, they see a 12-foot-high mural of the most recognized image of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center — three firefighters raising the American flag amidst dust and rubble.
They're grateful for the reminder and to the artist who painted the mural, Karen Talbert of the Grays Harbor Ward, Elma Washington Stake.
"It seemed to me a very powerful image," Sister Talbert, a wife and mother of two and a 1992 graduate of Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho), said during a telephone interview. "It seemed to me to say volumes about the American spirit and the bravery that was there — surrounded by this rubble and dust and there's this American flag."
Sister Talbert, a member of the Aberdeen Beautification Committee, a local volunteer organization, thought of painting the mural early this year while talking with a fellow member of the committee, who also happens to be on the city council. Soon, she met with fire Chief Dave Carlberg, who was pleased with the idea and helped her locate the right wall at the fire station.
"It was an ideal spot. It's a place that's viewed by almost everybody that comes into the station," the fire chief said, as quoted in the Aug. 1, 2002, issue of The Daily World, a local newspaper.
Working during evenings from Feb. 4 through March 14, and with the support of husband, Ben, she painted the 6-foot-wide mural using scaffolding — staying out of the firefighters' way when they sped off to calls. And she worried a bit early on what impact the image would have on the men.
"I thought, 'What if these firemen are running down these steps and find the image jarring?' But they all seem to love it. They came down and talked to me all the time [I was working]. A lot of them had a lot of close friends in New York. I remember one firefighter was telling me about one friend who lost his life. He had just been hiking with him. He had this young family."
The firefighter told Sister Talbert that seeing the mural on a daily basis made him feel more connected to his friend.
The mural, she added, made her and others in Aberdeen, a town of some 17,000, feel more connected to those on the east coast of the United States who suffered directly from the attacks. Her efforts were commended by the city council, which honored her July 31 with a certificate of appreciation.
