KATRINA HULL
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- A highly decorated New York City firefighter who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks posthumously received an award named after him.
The first Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award was presented to his family during a dinner Saturday night.
Downey, the chief of special operations command and New York City's most decorated firefighter, was one of three top Fire Department officials lost in the collapse of the World Trade Center.
The gold medal and $50,000 award are honors Downey would have been reluctant to accept, his family said.
``Because he was very humble, he'd probably say, 'All right, that's enough.' But deep down inside, he'd be proud,'' said his daughter, Marie Tortorici.
Downey, 63, was a firefighter for nearly 40 years. An expert in urban search-and-rescue, he led a team of New York City firefighters who responded to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
``It's a bittersweet moment for me,'' said Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, who presented the award.
``I wish he was here to accept it,'' Downey's son, Capt. Joe Downey, also a New York firefighter, said of the award. ``He's been to this show so many times as a firefighter. It's an honor for us to have it in his name.''
PenWell Corp., which owns the magazine Fire Engineering, and the Fire Department Instructors Conference established the Courage and Valor Foundation, which plans to honor a firefighter annually for his or her courage.
The foundation is in memory of the 343 firefighters who died on Sept. 11. It has raised $400,000 of a $1 million goal and plans to award the income from the fund each year, said Robert Biolchini, president and CEO of Tulsa-based Penwell.
Organizers say the weeklong conference was the largest gathering of firefighters since the attacks. About 25,000 firefighters attended the conference and about 540 attended the dinner.
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