Sunday will mark 15 years since the Sept. 11 terror attacks. For many, the shock and loss of that day is still fresh, including for local resident Abe Scott, who lost his wife in the attack.
Abe and Janice Scott lived in Springfield, Va. where they raised two daughters. Janice was one of the many civilian employees killed in the 9/11 Pentagon attack.
For Scott, the thought of his wife’s death is still painful.
“When I start reminiscing about what my wife and I could have had, had she not been killed, the only thing that really keeps me going is doing things to keep her memory alive,” Scott said.
In his effort to keep Janice’s memory alive, Scott created a scholarship fund in her name. Over the years, the fund has distributed some $250 million to 129 students.
It took Janice 10 years to get her undergraduate degree while she and her husband traveled during his military service -- a fact Scott makes known to students.
“I would tell them that don’t give up. My wife didn't give up. She worked, she worked hard until she got it completed,” Scott said.
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Today, Scott lives in his daughter’s house and now has two granddaughters as well.
He has found support in meeting with a group of others who also lost loved ones on 9/11. The group met at church shortly after the tragedy and still gets together nearly every month.
“To see them continue to move forward without giving up, that gives me the strength to move on,” Scott said.
Scott also finds strength in visiting Jan's gravesite at the Arlington National Cemetery.
On Sunday, Scott will be attending the memorial service at the Pentagon. He will be joined by 30 relatives and friends to remember and honor Janice and all others lost on 9/11.
