BERNSTEIN & ASSOCIATES, ARCHITECTS 
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Newsletter           

09/01 Newsletter:

To all of our Clients, Colleagues, and Friends :

As the year draws to an end, on behalf of our office, I would like to use our last newsletter of the year to express a number of heartfelt sentiments.

First of all, like all Americans, our hearts go out to the victims of the 9/11 attack on the U.S.. On a professional level, we lost a valued colleague in Carlos Cortes, a talented and good-hearted facilities manager who we worked with when he was at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. On a personal level, we unfortunately know a number of families where one of the parents was killed, leaving behind a grieving spouse and children. Our local firehouses --- both in Chelsea and on the Upper East Side --- lost firemen, who also left behind grieving families. Unfortunately, this very sad event casts a pall over all else in 2001.

The story of NYC's heroes --- the firemen and policemen --- is well known. All of us now have a greater appreciation of our "bravest" and "finest". Less well known is how some of our clients and colleagues in the medical and facilities management worlds "stepped up to the plate". One example is our client Michael Rawlings, Director of Engineering at the NYU Downtown Hospital. We told Mike's story --- how he managed the physical plant of NYU Downtown Hospital, the closest NYC hospital to the World Trade Center, during the 9/11 attack --- in the September Newsletter. Another example is Dr. Fernando Jara, Medical Director of the ER at Bronx Lebanon Hospital, the nations's 12th busiest ER (which our office is currently renovating). Dr. Jara was appointed medical director of the temporary triage center set up at Chelsea piers, which unfortunately --- like many NYC health care centers --- received very few patients. And a final example is another client, Steve Marlow of OMH, who continued his service to the country through his work in the Reserves.

As I look forward to 2002, I draw strength from the courage and discipline of our armed forces in Afghanistan. We wish them continued success and safety. I also draw strength from the extraordinary courage displayed by Mayor Guiliani --- as has been noted elsewhere, it was Mayor Guiliani who was the face of the U.S. government during 9/11, appearing on TV, walking the streets, providing leadership in the truest sense of the word. Like many other previous NYC mayors, Mayor Guiliani makes us proud to be New Yorkers.

Finally, moments of joy and happiness do stand out as I look back on the past year.

To Ed Bernal of H.M. Hughes : congratulations on becoming a dad ! To John DeCesare of NYUHC : congratulations on tieing the knot ! To Drew Brennan of NYUSOM : congratulations on joining that select group of individuals (registered architects) that looks at everything in terms of how many Learning Credits it will provide ! To Fitz Robertson of DASNY and Robert Giammarino of OMH : congratulations on the promotions --- you deserved it ! And to my favorite ER administrative director, Jesus Cambrelen : congratulations on becoming a grandfather again !

To those in our office, thanks for doing whatever was necessary, whenever it was necessary, to fulfill our company mission statement : high-quality design, excellent service, strategic thinking. Within our office, some final, special congratulations : to Douglas for getting engaged (!); to Maria for successfully holding onto the balloon character "Blue" (of "Blues Clues") during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; to William for missing all the deer (long live Bambi!); to King, for learning to argue with William in a quieter voice; to Gerd for getting his eldest off to college; and to Stuart for getting a variance from the town of Hastings-on-Hudson and getting his dream addition/renovation/revolution out of the ground --- may you have no change orders !

Best Wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year.

Bill

William N. Bernstein, ACHA, AIA - Principal

Bernstein & Assoc., Architects, PLLC

59 West 19th Street - 6A, New York, NY 10011

Ph : 212-463-8200 / Fx : 212-463-9898 / info@bernarch.com

ACHA : member - American College of Healthcare Architects

AIA : member - American Institute of Architects

Registered Architect : New York, New Jersey, Connecticut