A dinner remembering Michael Canty, who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, will be held Saturday at the Stockade Inn.
During the dinner, a Schenectady High School student will receive the 10th Michael Canty Scholarship Award for excellence in academics, character and school involvement. This year’s winner of the $7,500-a-year scholarship will be joined by eight of the nine past winners.
Ed Canty, Michael’s father, said the dinner is already filled to capacity with 120 people attending, including about 10 of Michael’s friends from his graduating class in 1989 at Linton High School, about 20 people from Loyola College Class of 1993, members of the Schenectady High School faculty who advise the scholarship selection process and family members of the scholarship recipients.
The dinner also will include Loyola’s alumni chaplain, the Rev. Francis Nash. He will be holding a Mass for Michael at Our Lady of Fatima Church at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
“It’s almost like a wedding,” Canty said of all the last-minute arrangements he was seeing to before Saturday, including the seating chart.
Michael Canty was a commodities broker with Carr Futures on the 92nd floor of Tower One when it was struck by a hijacked plane.
Noting that Michael was one of many children, Canty said his other kids have helped organize events to keep the memory of their deceased brother alive.
“This whole thing started with Mike’s siblings,” he said. “They were very instrumental in getting it off the ground.”
The result has been a continuous group project in Michael’s honor. “It’s a family effort,” Canty said.
The Michael Canty Scholarship Award is funded almost entirely by a fun run in Michael’s honor held on Labor Day weekend each year.
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