Missing photo of Sept. 11 victim is located by councilwoman
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| Albert Ogletree |
That image of freshman Albert Ogletree is now installed on the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, thanks to the dedicated efforts of retired educator and current Romulus City Councilwoman Kathy Abdo.
Mr. Ogletree was among the nearly 3,000 people who perished in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
His was one of only two photos of victims not installed on the wall, instead marked with an oak leaf. This week, Mr. Ogletree's image was placed alongside the other victims, giving faces to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack.
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| Councilwoman Kathy Abdo |
An obituary for Mr. Ogletree's widow who died in 2004 led to his stepdaughter, Justine Jones, who led researchers to Romulus.
A museum staff member placed a call to the Romulus High School hoping to find a yearbook photo. While the high school didn't have yearbooks that far back, they knew just who to call who would know where to find one.
“The school called me and said - you know, we got this request and we don't have any photos,” recalled Abdo who retired after 30 years of teaching in the Romulus school district. While she made no promises, Abdo said, she told them that she would look into it. “The fact that a Romulus student died in 9/11 made me feel an obligation to find his picture.”
She had only his name and a possible decade of Mr. Ogletree's attendance in Romulus schools, but for a veteran educator who remembers nearly all her students, that was information enough.
Abdo went to the Romulus Historical Society where, she said, “Pearl (Varner) has every yearbook since 1940 on.” The two spent a Sunday afternoon and eventually located Mr. Ogletree.
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| Former Romulus resident Albert Ogletree is now pictured on the Sept. 11 memorial in New York. His was one of only two missing photos of victims. |
Abdo said the connection between teacher and student made her want to find out more about Mr. Ogletree. He was born on Christmas Day in 1951 and grew up in Romulus with his parents and a sister, Elizabeth. He moved to New York City, married and was working in the North Tower in Food Services at the time of his death at the age of 49. His stepdaughter confirmed his identity and said that he still resembled the high school photo.
She recalled Mr. Ogletree as a “a loving man who played an important role” in her life, and a “skillful electronics repairman.”
Abdo said she attempted to find any other family members or friends in the area, who remembered Mr. Ogletree, but was unsuccessful.
“It was the right thing to do and I was honored to do it,” said Abdo who added that visiting the memorial is on her “to-do list.”
The museum - which is beneath the Memorial Plaza and opened in 2014 - is still asking anyone with information about Mr. Ogletree to contact staff members there.
Mr. Ogletree's name also is etched into the memorial panel N-24.
