Stepping Up for Fallen Heroes

A recent graduate revives EWU’s 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.

Few days in our nation’s history can match the shock and horror of Sept. 11, 2001. As we approach the 25th anniversary of that dreadful morning, it’s especially important that succeeding generations of Americans remember the attacks and, especially, the heroism of the firefighters and police officers who sacrificed their lives to save others.

This fall, thanks in large part to Denise Quiroga ’25, a student-turned-alumna who wasn’t yet five years old in 2001, Eastern’s 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb returned to the Cheney campus. The event challenges participants to complete a strenuous stair assent in remembrance of the New York City firefighters and police officers who rushed into the burning twin towers — some of whom climbed as many as 110 flights of steps — in an attempt to reach trapped office workers and visitors.

Quiroga, who graduated last June with a bachelor’s degree in biology, spearheaded the effort remotely in partnership with other members of Eastern’s “Easy Come, Easy Grow” garden club. This year’s climb, which originated in Dressler Hall before being halted due to Covid-19, was, at Quiroga’s urging, relocated to Roos Field.

Mark Este, director of EWU community engagement, recently gave Quiroga a shout-out for her outstanding work. “She pulled in all these different campus departments, such as facilities, the police department, the veterans resource center, sustainability, community engagement, our office, to try to make this happen and get all the moving parts in place,” Este says. “It’s a really cool, collaborative effort.”

Roos Field proved to be an ideal fit for the event, in part thanks to the day’s sunny skies and mild temperatures. Of the 100 people who attended, more than 50 participated in stair climbs and walks.
Nathan Henson, captain at the Cheney Fire Department, turned out to Roos with several colleagues. “We’re pretty excited to see this happening again,” Henson said.

Henson said firefighters and police rarely think of the dangers to themselves when they are serving their communities: Answering the call of those who need them simply comes as second nature to most first responders.

“I think [the memorial event] is a good reminder of why we do what we do,” Henson says. “A lot of times you don’t think about the loss side of things; you are just going and doing a job because you enjoy doing it, and you enjoy serving your community.”