Charles
Kasper, 54, recently promoted to deputy fire chief Former teacher
served as instructor at firehouse - By Stephanie Slepian Advance
staff writer Wednesday, 09/26/2001
Before Charles Kasper headed out to the World Trade Center, he
had his wife relay a message to their daughter, who had just witnessed
the chaos from a park in the area that became known as Ground
Zero. "Tell Melissa and my most precious grandson, Dylan, that
I will be up for them as soon as I put this fire out," were the
chief's last words, before he headed out of his West Brighton
home. Melissa Friedman, her husband, Mark, and their 18-month-old
son, Dylan, were soon evacuated from their apartment in Lower
Manhattan. Mr. Kasper, 54, who was promoted to deputy chief of
Manhattan's Special Operations Command five days after the Sept.
11 attack, is listed among the missing victims. Sept. 11 started
like any ordinary day in the Kasper household. But everything
changed with the flip of a dial after Laureen Kasper turned on
the morning news, where images of a burning Tower 1 were flashing
across the screen. She began screaming and her husband ran into
the room, trying to calm her. Within minutes, she was on the phone
with a panicked Melissa, and her husband's pager started buzzing.
Mrs. Kasper told her husband she didn't want to see any daring
rescues on the news that day. As he raced out of the house, he
told her that everything would be fine and made sure she told
Melissa that he would come for her as soon as possible. "He was
a great guy," Mrs. Kasper said. "He was involved with so many
teams and was always working with kids. We were both teachers
and he was always talking about taking kids and making something
happen with their lives." Mr. Kasper began his career teaching
history and English and coaching basketball in Brooklyn schools
from 1968 to 1973. As his family grew to include three children,
he made the career move to the Fire Department. He served as chief
of Battalion 23 in Great Kills and Battalion 21 in Rosebank before
moving to the Special Operations Command in Manhattan. In 1993,
he responded to the World Trade Center bombing as a member of
Manhattan's Rescue Co. 1. Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen announced
Mr. Kasper's promotion at a ceremony on Sept. 16, where 168 members
of the department were elevated to fill leadership roles left
vacant by victims of the attack. "He announced his promotion at
the ceremony even though he was considered missing," Mrs. Kasper
said. "He made quite a career out of it. He moved through the
ranks so quickly. He loved his job. That's why he raced in from
home." Mr. Kasper kept true to his teaching roots, working as
an instructor in the Fire Department. But his first love and his
first priority were always his family, which also includes his
daughter, Kara Kasper, 26, and son, Michael, 17, a senior on Curtis
High School's basketball team. He was always on the sidelines
or coaching his son's basketball games. He was involved in all
his children's activities and relished his new role as grandfather.
"He loved his family," Mrs. Kasper said. "He was so happy to be
a granddaddy." The duo of Charles and Laureen was formidable on
the tennis court, participating in the Walker Park Mixed Doubles
Tournament for several years. "He was a great tennis player,"
Mrs. Kasper said. "Everyone knew Charlie as a great tennis player."
Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Kasper moved to West Brighton with his wife,
the former Laureen Roman, 30 years ago. The two met on a train
on the way to their respective Brooklyn high schools and have
been together ever since. He earned a degree in business from
Long Island University. "He was so proud of his family," Mrs.
Kasper said. "The only thing that helps now is that we are all
staying together." There will be a memorial service Friday at
1 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Hall at Snug Harbor Cultural Center,
Livingston.
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