Township names street in honor of 9/11 victim Local man remembered as 'a great man and a great hero' BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Edward Strauss spoke at the dedication ceremony of a street in his son's name on Aug. 18. Strauss' son, Ed, was killed during the 9/11 terrorist bombings of the World Trade Center; he was 44. EDISON - Family and friends of Edward T. Strauss gathered Saturday morning on the street where he used to live. The township honored Strauss that morning in a fashion usually reserved for veterans of American wars - they named a street after him. But Strauss never served in the armed forces. His was a different type of sacrifice. Edward T. Strauss was the chief of World Trade Center operations for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He died on Sept. 11, 2001. Six years later, on his son Ed's 18th birthday, the township officially renamed Marlin Avenue West in honor of Edward T. Strauss and the sacrifice he made. "He was a man who inspired confidence in others," said Councilwoman Antonia Ricigliano during the dedication ceremony. "His co-workers at the Port Authority relied on his expertise." Saturday's ceremony had its germination with another government agency - the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Ricigliano had been waiting in line at the office behind Edward's wife, Jane, and the two struck up a conversation. "I asker her about street namings," Strauss said, "and she said, 'done.'" On the morning of the ceremony, the senior Edward Strauss, Edward T.'s father, said his son was a humble and giving man. "If he were here, he'd say don't do this," the elder Edward Strauss said of the fuss the dedication seemed to cause. "He was always helping everyone." The Strauss family started a memorial fund five years ago called With Eddie's Help. The senior Edward Strauss said that the charity organization holds many fundraisers throughout the year and donates "99.9 percent" of the funds raised to various recipients. In five years, he said, the group has given away more than $400,000. Mayor Jun Choi said that he and the township were proud to honor Strauss and other outstanding citizens through the street naming program. Though he had never met him personally, Choi said, he had learned from others the content of Edward's character. "He was someone who deserves enormous credit," Choi said, "and I hope his sacrifices will be remembered for many years to come." He also said it was fitting to have a nonprofit established in his name. "I was touched that you took the loss of Ed's life and turned it into a nonprofit organization." Councilmember Robert Diehl said he knew Edward and would always see him working in the yard. Edison lost several residents on that day, and Diehl said this street naming was a way to honor Edward and the others who were lost. "You could tell he was a good man, a good neighbor, a good husband and a good father," Strauss said. "It's our way of showing we do remember their lives." Reid Jantz, Edward Strauss' brotherin law and a former New York City firefighter and veteran of 9/11, spoke about Edward. "He was an incredible man," Jantz said. "He was a great man and a great hero." Jane Strauss and her son no longer live on Marlin Avenue West. They have moved to another part of town. She said that the house Edward lived in does not look the same, and that the new owners have made many changes. One thing that is still there, she said, is the strong stone wall Edward built. For more information about With Eddie's Help, visit the Web site www.witheddieshelp.org.