The terrorist attacks vaulted public officials and ordinary people into the international spotlight. Here are some of the people we came to know -- and where they are now.
MARIAN FONTANA
After losing her husband, firefighter Dave Fontana, Marian Fontana came to the fore as the public voice for the families of the victims. As president of the 9-11 Widows' and Victims' Families Association, Fontana spent much of her time bringing victims' families together and making the public aware of issues that concerned the relatives, such as the victim compensation fund and the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. In the past year she has stepped away from the public eye somewhat. ``I don't know how healthy it is to make Sept. 11 the only date on your calendar for the rest of your life,'' she said. ``It's not fair to my son, or to Dave's memory, really. I want to find the quiet place where I can start to grieve.''
RUDOLPH GIULIANI
Although already well-known outside of New York before Sept. 11, the former mayor truly became an international figure for his cool-headed response to the attack. After leaving office in 2002, Giuliani and several aides formed a consulting firm, Giuliani Partners, which has taken on assignments from crime-fighting in Mexico to corruption-busting at horse-racing tracks. Giuliani, 59, has become a major fund-raiser for the Republican Party, and is often mentioned as a potential Senate or gubernatorial candidate. He married Judith Nathan in May 2003, less than a year after an ugly public divorce from his former wife, Donna Hanover. His 2002 book, ``Leadership,'' was a best-seller.
BERNARD KERIK
When Kerik was appointed police commissioner in August 2000, he was a little-known, low-key figure. After the attack, the 48-year-old Kerik was a near-constant presence at Giuliani's side, helping rally with his solemn determination a department that had lost 23 members. In 2001, he published his memoirs, ``The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice,'' in which he revealed that his mother was a prostitute who had been beaten to death. A consultant for Giuliani Partners, Kerik has been on assignment in Iraq, where he is dubbed the ``Baghdad Terminator'' for his no-nonsense style in rebuilding the city's police force.
HOWARD LUTNICK
The CEO of the bond-trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick was taking his son to kindergarten when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the company's offices. While that twist of fate saved his life, his brother, his best friend and more than 650 employees were killed in the attack. Lutnick, 41, quickly became a public face of grief _ and then a target for Cantor relatives outraged at his decision to halt paychecks to the families of deceased employees. He ultimately won back the trust of most families by convening town meetings, phoning hundreds of family members and writing condolence letters. Cantor Fitzgerald has given $90 million in profits to the families so far. The firm is now in a temporary office in midtown Manhattan.
RICHARD SHEIRER
As head of the Giuliani-created Office of Emergency Management, Sheirer had the mammoth task of coordinating the search for the dead and the clearance of the trade center site. The job was widely assumed to take at least a year to complete. It was finished in nine months at a fraction of the estimated cost. ``You cannot underestimate the dedication of all the people here,'' Sheirer, 56, said near the end of the site work. After leaving the office in March 2002, Sheirer joined Giuliani's consulting firm.
LARRY SILVERSTEIN
A private developer little known to the general public, Silverstein signed a 99-year lease for the twin towers just six weeks before the attack. His lease with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey remains in place, making Silverstein, 72, a key figure in the rebuilding of the site. After much behind-closed-doors wrangling over the site's final design, Silverstein and redevelopment officials reached an agreement that leaves in place architect Daniel Libeskind's centerpiece _ the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower _ but hands the lead role in construction to Silverstein's hand-picked architect, David Childs.
THOMAS VON ESSEN
Von Essen, who had served for six years as commissioner of the Fire Department of New York, directed the department's response to the attack, which claimed the lives of 343 firefighters. At the end of the Giuliani administration, he joined Giuliani's firm as a consultant. Since then, he has given speeches and written a memoir, ``Strong of Heart.'' The book covered Von Essen's life as a firefighter, union president and finally commissioner, a tenure marked by contention over his efforts to change the tradition-bound department.
