irefighter Stephen Belson '73 did not have to be at the World Trade Center on September 11. He had seriously injured his back and was still recovering from spinal surgery. But he loved his job and wanted to keep on working, so he took lighter duty as a batallion chief's aide. Steve was with the chief in a lobby of the Trade Center when the building collapsed. He was 51.

After receiving a degree in Physical Education in 1973, Steve worked for several years as a lifeguard in Rockaway. The beach was "home" and he loved surfing. "He was always looking for the perfect wave," says his brother Bruce.

Then, with a group of fellow lifeguards, Steve joined the fire department. He worked for most of his 22 years on the job with the Ladder 24 Company on Manhattan's West Side. Over the years, many of his buddies took promotion exams and moved up the ranks, but Steve just wanted to be a firefighter. He received many commendations for bravery.

"He never had any fear for himself," said his mother, Madeline Brandstadter.

More than 1200 people attended Steve's memorial service in Rockaway-firefighters, friends of all ages, his Congressman. Bagpipers played "America the Beautiful." Friends sang songs they had written about Steve. He was eulogized by friends, family, and a rabbi.

"His friends called him Bells," his mother said. "He was such a presence in Rockaway. The City has renamed Beach 92nd Street to Bells Beach."

At his memorial, a fellow firefighter said he considered himself lucky to have had that fateful day off, "but Steve would have thought it was the other way around."

His friend Alex Storozynski writes, "The last time I saw him, Bells was coming out of the ocean with his surfboard to go to work. I said it was too bad he had to leave because the waves were great. 'Nah, that's okay,' Steve said. 'I love going to work'."

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