Amanda Carpenter received two bricks: one to keep, pictured here, and one to install at the Derby Sept. 11 Memorial on The Derby Green.
DERBY – The legacy of a Derby woman’s father who died in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 is now memorialized on a brick within the city’s monument marking that dark day in U.S. history.
Derby resident Amanda Carpenter’s father, Donald H. Gregory, 62, was a bond broker at Cantor Fitzgerald, housed within the World Trade Center.
The engraved brick that is now a part of the city’s Sept. 11 Memorial on the Derby Green was a heartfelt gift from her neighbors, Patricia and Richard Havenec, along with Barbara Scarpa and her husband, Glenn Celentano.
(Left to right) Nathan Carpenter, Amanda Carpenter, Richard Havanec, Patricia Havanec, BryantCarpenter, Vienna Carpenter, Glenn Celentano, Barbara Scarpa and Donovan Carpenter
Her neighbors ordered two bricks as a Christmas present at the end of 2021 – one for the memorial, and one for her to keep in her home.
She knew the gift was something special because her neighbors all pulled out cameras to watch her open the present.
“They handed me a card and on the inside was a print of what a memorial brick dedicated to my father would look like and that it was going to be placed at the Derby 9/11 Memorial. I was so very overwhelmed that my neighbors had come together to organize this,” Carpenter said.
Neighborly Bonds
Carpenter moved to Derby’s hilltop about six years ago with her husband Nathan. They have three children: three-year old twin boys, Bryant and Donovan, and six-year old daughter Vienna.
The neighbors along Woodland Walk in Derby said going through the COVID-19 pandemic together helped to strengthen bonds.
Carpenter said the Havenecs are godparents to her twin boys, and Scarpa and Celetano have become “honorary” aunts and uncles to her kids.
Amanda and her late father.
The neighbors, recognizing that 2021 was the 20th anniversary of the dreadful terrorist attacks, wanted to let know Carpenter she isn’t alone.
“Amanda, her husband, and three beautiful children are like family to us,” Celentano said. “The anniversary of losing her dad on 9/11 is always rough, and we thought we could find something positive to do that would honor him on the 20th anniversary (of the attacks).”
Celentano said while he and the neighbors didn’t know her father, they’ve come to know and love his daughter and her family.
“Having a place to go locally to pay tribute to her dad is pretty amazing,” Celentano said. “It warmed our collective hearts to be able to do this for Amanda. She’s not just a neighbor or a friend, she’s family to all of us.”
The memorial and the bricks on the Green exist thanks to the combined efforts of the Derby Fire Department and Derby government.
“The brick being gifted to me on literally the last day of the year of the 20th anniversary was tremendously significant,” Carpenter said. “It felt like it was the final page of the 20th chapter of my personal story and journey of grief and healing.”
Derby's Vienna Carpenter, 6, lays a rose on the brick with her grandfather's name.
Remembering Dad
Carpenter was just 19 when her dad died. Her family, including her dad, lived in Ramsey, N.J., about 50 miles or so outside downtown Manhattan.
Since Carpenter’s kids never got the chance to meet their grandfather, the brick with grandpa’s name on the Derby Green means that much more.
“He had a great singing voice and would love to belt out songs by Queen, Billy Joel and Elton John, yet he also loved to listen to classical music,” Carpenter said. “He had a great sense of humor. He loved jigsaw puzzles and stamp collecting. He had a deep appreciation for nature and would always pause to take in a beautiful sunset. He was gregarious yet sensitive, (and) appreciated his quiet time working on his hobbies. I was always so proud of how he would come right off the train ride from the city, still wearing his suit, and come straight to the field or gym to coach our practice or games. He prioritized family time,” she said.
The Derby Memorial
The city’s fire department spearheaded an effort to create a 9/11 memorial to give people a place to reflect and remember.
In 2014, a dedication ceremony took place at the memorial, which features an actual steel I‑beam recovered from one of the fallen Twin Towers, surrounded by a pentagon-shaped walkway with commemorative bricks and a sidewalk leading to it.
The city hosts a 9/11 remembrance ceremony each year. Fire Commissioner Gary Parker said nearly 125 engraved bricks are featured at the memorial, with room for many more.
“I hope that when people look back on these arduous few years, that they can seek and find those who rose above to bring love and happiness to those around them,” Carpenter said.
Anyone interested in purchasing a commemorative 9/11 brick can visit:
