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Chester County Press

9/11 flag presented to Upland

11/20/2013 03:36PM ● By Acl

Upland ice hockey coach Court Dunn, Upland interim head of school Archie Douglas, Joan Stewart and Sam Schluter with the Flag of Honor bearing Richie's name. Dunn was Richie's hockey coach during his time at Upland.

Joan Stewart, mother of Upland Country Day School alum Richie Stewart, who perished in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, recently presented Upland Country Day School with the Flag of Honor she received from the city honoring her son. 

The flag displays the names of the 3,000 who died with Richie in the 2011 attacks.

Mrs. Stewart, also a faculty member at Upland for many years, traveled from her current home in North Carolina to present the flag after Upland student Sam Schluter delivered his ninth grade all-school speech in tribute to Richie and the many ways he made a difference in the lives of others through his character and service. Over the course of each year, every ninth grader delivers a speech to the Upland student body. The topic for this school year is “People Making a Difference in the Lives of Others.”

“Mrs. Stewart presenting Upland with such a tremendous honor as the flag was a powerful and poignant moment for our school,” said Archie Douglas, Upland's interim head of school. “As students pass it each day, it will bring to mind the exemplary life and manner of Richie Stewart. Faculty members remember him as more than just a standout hockey player. He was the consummate teammate – always there to lend a hand, compassionate to others and always ready to serve his community.”

Stewart, a former class president and hockey player, went on from Upland to be inducted into the ice hockey Hall of Fame at Lawrenceville School. When his education and playing days were over, he was recruited to work at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center.

Stewart attended Upland Country Day School from 1970 to 1982. The Flag of Honor will be displayed in the Upland main auditorium.