St. Louis Students Present 'Gift of Love' to Pentagon

By Linda Busetti
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 2/14/02)

PENTAGON — An Army colonel escorted two little girls from St. Louis School in Alexandria down Pentagon corridors bustling with Defense Department workers to their meeting with "the Mayor of the Pentagon" last week.

Colonel Robert Thompson, whose children attend St. Louis, accompanied Principal Noreen Gilmour, art teacher Fawn Katzbahn, second-grader Shannon Katzbahn-Rush, third-grader Angelica DeFreitas and seventh-grader Nicholas Schell to present a "Gift of Love" — a large canvas banner decorated by the after-school art class.

Katzbahn’s visit to New York after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks inspired her to have the art class create some sign of love and caring for those who had suffered. She planned and coordinated the making of two 4' by 15' banners decorated by students and signed by members of the school community. One banner was sent to St. Peter Church at ground zero in New York City. The second banner was designed to express St. Louis’ "love and caring for our military … honoring those who paid the supreme sacrifice for their country," Gilmour said. Many St. Louis students have parents who work at the Pentagon or other military installations.

In a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Gilmour and Katzbahn wrote, "The smoke of the Pentagon darkened the horizon visible from our school" on Sept. 11. "Though time may heal our individual and collective wounds, it does not dull the memory of what, as a community and a nation, we experienced." The school representatives delivered the banner to David O. Cooke, director of administration and management for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Because Cooke has handled "Defense management issues" for every Secretary of Defense since 1958, he has earned the nickname "Mayor of the Pentagon."

Katzbahn and Gilmour helped the children unfurl the long banner in Cooke’s office. Brightly painted blue and pink angels and brown gingerbread men were surrounded by printed names of students and teachers. "To the Pentagon Employees … From St. Louis School" was printed across the top. The words "Heaven on Earth" were painted in blue and green and "United in Spirit" in multi-colored letters ran along the bottom on the banner.

Schell confidently read a letter to Cooke presenting the "Gift of Love" on behalf of St. Louis’ students and teachers. The two girls then presented Cooke with a blue St. Louis School "holy bear."

Kathleen M. "Kat" Ciccotelli-Ward of the Pentagon graphics and presentations division joined them. Coincidentally, Ciccotelli-Ward, who arranged the meeting with Cooke, is an alumna of St. Louis School.

Cooke thanked them for the gifts. He recounted his role in the events of Sept. 11. Because his responsibilities include the security, maintenance and operation of Defense buildings in the Washington area, it was a long day — he remained at the Pentagon until 9 p.m. that night. Cooke has been awarded the DoD Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service, the highest department career award, seven times and the DoD Medal for Distinguished Public Service twice, although it is rarely conferred on a career official.

Cooke explained that the banner will be framed and put on permanent display in the Pentagon.

According to Gilmour, "This ‘Gift of Love’ represents the innocence we as a school strive to protect for our youth, in addition to the strong faith we have in our leadership. We hope that it serves as a constant reminder to all who work [in] and visit the Pentagon, of our children’s optimism for the future and the goodness of mankind — in spite of our failures." 

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