On September 11, Pierson Grant Public Relations CEO Maria Pierson Reflects On How Americans Helped Each Other
When reflecting on September 11, Pierson Grant Public Relations CEO Maria Pierson likes to think about how Americans helped one another recover in the aftermath.
That horrible day in 2001, 36-year-old Broward financial analyst Jeff Smith died on the 104th Floor of Two World Trade Center. A graduate of J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, where he played football and was a member of the National Honor Society, he left behind a wife and two young daughters.
To keep Jeff’s memory alive, his heartbroken parents established the Jeffrey R. Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund for graduating seniors at Taravalla. Pierson had the honor of getting to know Jeff’s parents when she served as Funding Vice President for the Coral Springs Community Chest Board. The Coral Springs Community Chest funded those scholarships given in his memory over multiple years.
“Today, that grant has blossomed into thousands of dollars in scholarships for deserving Taravella graduates,” Pierson related. “It’s comforting to know that, in the midst of such unspeakable tragedy and the loss of a child, Mr. and Mrs. Smith created such a touching tribute to their son that has helped students live their dream of attending college and has kept Jeff’s name alive through the lives of so many.”
Jeffrey Randall Smith, who died on September 11, 2001 in the Two World Trade Center building, is pictured here with his two daughters.