Firefighter
Mark Whitford
Engine 23
Memorial
Service was held
on Thursday, October 4, 2001.
Mark
Whitford was a three-time city wrestling champion, but his best firefighting
save
had less to do with brawn and more to do with quick thinking and compassion.
One night as he sat on duty in a fire truck, a couple approached him. The
wife was in labor and they could not reach the hospital in time. He adapted
his basic EMT training to deliver the baby in the couple's car, his brother,
Dennis, said. Whitford, 31, was a firefighter for three years with Engine
Co. 23 in midtown Manhattan. He has been missing since responding to the
World Trade Center attack. Born and raised in Staten Island, Whitford graduated
from Tottenville High School in 1989. From 1987 to 1989, he was the PSAL
wrestling champion in his weight class. At Seton Hall University, where he
graduated in 1993, he was the eastern regional wrestling champion in 1992
and 1993, and a two-time NCAA qualifier. In high school, when Mark was a
sophomore and Dennis a freshman in 1987, Dennis was also PSAL wrestling champion
in a different weight class. "We were almost like twins together," said Dennis
Whitford, of Sayville, N.J. With his wife, Renee, Mark Whitford had twins
of his own -13-month-old Matthew and Timothy. A year ago, the family moved
from Staten Island to Washingtonville. Another brother, Chris, of Rock Tavern,
is a policeman with the First Precinct assisting in the rescue operation.
Mark Whitford is also survived by a sister, Lisa Walker of Oldbridge, N.J.,
and his parents, Roger and Carol, of Staten Island. (Newsday Article)
Legacy.com
Article
SI Live Article