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Honoring a 9/11 Hero for His Supreme Sacrifice:
The Back Story of the Captain Vernon A. Richard H.S. of Fire and Life Safety
At 400 Pennsylvania Avenue, in Brooklyn, N.Y., stands a labor of love called the Captain Vernon A. Richard H.S. for Fire and Life Safety. This act did not involve building the high school, which occurred in 1922, but changing its name to honor Vernon Richard, a fallen African American NYC fireman who left home on September 11, 2001, never to return.
I didn’t know Vernon personally, but many of my former Marcy Project neighbors did, along with his high school sweetheart and wife, Dot, and sung his praises. He had the pedigree of man we were proud of: Brooklyn born, Boys H.S. alumnus, an Army vet with service in Vietnam, scored 95% on the lieutenant fire exam, becoming the first African American appointed to that rank. Father of two exceptional children, Vernon II and Vernessa. What was not to love about Vernon?
In 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, a group of online friends decided to get a New York City school named after our hero. An impossible task to some, but not for those well-versed in overcoming barriers as former residents of an NYC housing project.
The journey started with emails and phone calls to community politicians and school principals who either didn’t respond or said, “not…
