Wisconsin father honors daughter lost on 9/11 through memorial project

KEWASKUM - It’s a day that changed the country – and a generation that lived through it will never forget. But for millions of young people today – 9/11 is history.

25 years since the attacks

What we know:

One Wisconsin family is making sure the stories of those who died, including a young woman from Kewaskum, are never lost. As the country prepares to mark 25 years since the attacks, one father turned his grief into a mission to educate the next generation.

There’s not a day Gordon Haberman doesn’t long to see his daughter smile again.

What they're saying:

"I miss her, everything. If you wanted to order a kid before they were born, she’d be the one," said Gordon Haberman, who lost his daughter on 9/11.

Andrea Haberman was 25 years old. She grew up in the Kewaskum area and moved to Chicago. She was planning a wedding when she headed to the Twin Towers for work on September 11, 2001.

"She was on the first business trip of her career," Gordon Haberman said.

She worked for Carr Futures, a brokerage firm that had offices in the North Tower. Her father says she was on the phone with a coworker describing her view of the Statue of Liberty when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the line disconnected.

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"She was on the 92nd, the plane sliced through the 95th, 94th, 93rd," Gordon Haberman said. "She didn’t know anybody there, that still haunts us."

For days, the Habermans hoped she was missing until finally arriving in New York City and seeing the destruction.

"That’s where I think my heart fell in my stomach. Fires were burning, smoke was 30 to 50 stories high." Gordon Haberman said. "Once I got down to the site, I knew that if you were in there, you weren’t coming out."

"Well over 100 million people have been born since 9/11 in this country. Of course, they can never remember, we never say forget, but it’s hard to say never forget an event they can’t remember," Gordon Haberman said as we reflected on 25 years since the tragedy.

Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial

What we know:

The generational distance is why the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial's mission is focused on education.

"We’ve got a piece of the steel, it actually started the project," said Mark Bazata, president of Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial as well as superintendent of Kewaskum School District.

A beam from the towers at the center points east to New York. Mark Bazata is president of the memorial and superintendent of the Kewaskum School District.

"I am hiring teachers right now who were not alive when 9/11 happened," Bazata said. "I think we need to embed it partially in our education system, in making sure that’s something that we’re always going to include, and I think having spaces like this is also an important."

This rendering shows future plans for the memorial. Bazata and Haberman are now fundraising $4 million to expand into a museum and educational center.

With symbolism in every inch, a new tribute to victims with Wisconsin ties was just installed.

Additions to a place Haberman finds comfort, where his daughter and the nearly 3,000 other lives lost are remembered.

"She was pretty shy. However, she'd be proud of a memorial for all the victims and the education process so that nobody forgets forever," Gordon Haberman said.

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Friday will mark 25 years since 9/11. There will be a tribute at the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial at 1 p.m.

Andrea Haberman's niece will also throw out the first pitch at the Brewers game on Friday.

If you'd like to donate to the future museum and education center, you can find the link at fox6now.com.

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Bria Jones and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.

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