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National Effort Creates New York City Skyline Tribute Quilt Honoring Victims Of 9/11 Attack on America; National Tribute Quilt Seeks a Permanent Home

PRNewswire-FirstCall
PITTSBURGH
05.13.2002

Last September, the Steel Quilters -- a group of four women who work in the steel industry in Pittsburgh -- set out to create a quilt that would serve as a memorial to the people who lost their lives in the 9/11 attack on America. Called the National Tribute Quilt, it would honor those who inspired a nation to patriotism.

The Tribute Quilt -- a series of six quilts -- measures 8 feet high by 33 feet wide and contains more than 3,100 three-inch blocks. The name of each person who perished on 9/11 is inscribed on an individual block. The blocks of the four central quilts form an image of the New York City skyline to honor the people who lost their lives in the World Trade Center and the police, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel who died in the line of duty. The design was created from a photograph taken by quilter Kathy Crawford while visiting the Statue of Liberty. Flanking the skyline are two separate quilts: one, with the image of two doves, is a tribute to the passengers and crews of Flights 11, 77, 175 and 93; and the other, bearing an eagle with a flag unfurled beneath, honors the men and women of the Pentagon.

Kathy Crawford said, "Making quilts to memorialize events large and small has been an American tradition since our country was founded. We felt a National Tribute Quilt would be a uniquely American tribute to the victims and their families.

"We're overwhelmed by the national support we've received in response to postings on our Web site. Friends and families of the victims and quilters and sewers from all 50 states have contributed blocks for the project. We've also received blocks from countries as close as Canada and as far away as Australia."

The Steel Quilters are currently looking for a permanent home for the National Tribute Quilt, either in a national memorial to the 9/11 tragedy or in an appropriate museum. They would appreciate hearing from anyone who could help with the placement.

The Steel Quilters are Kathy Crawford, Amber Dalley, Jian Li and Dorothy Simback. All four work for U. S. Steel at its Research and Technology Center in Monroeville, Pa. Kathy Crawford, who lives in Ford City, Pa., has been quilting about 28 years. As a senior technician, Crawford oversees the testing of blast furnace burden materials in the corporate Raw Materials Laboratory. Amber Dalley, originally from Ogden, Utah, is new to quilting, but is an experienced seamstress. A senior research engineer, Dalley works on metallurgical problems and plant equipment failures for the Materials Technology and Modeling Group. Jian Li, Ph. D., of Murrysville, Pa., has been quilting about two years. Li is a senior research project engineer and is the lead engineer for organic coatings for appliances and construction applications. Dorothy Simback, of Lower Burrell, Pa., has been quilting for about 10 years. Simback is a part-time clerical employee and assists in various duties for the product technology division.

The group is currently putting the finishing touches on the quilt, which will be ready for display in late July or early August.

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SOURCE: United States Steel Corporation

Contact: John Armstrong, +1-412-433-6792, or Kathy Crawford,
+1-412-825-2115, both of U. S. Steel

Website: http://www.ussteel.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/gh/cnoc/comp/929150.html