The Mighty Quinn

 

James Francis Quinn was the middle son of Noreen and Michael Quinn's Brooklyn-based power trio, preceded by Michael by a couple of years and followed by Joseph a couple of years later.  At shortly before 9 am on what had dawned as a glorious late summer Tuesday in New York City, Jimmy Quinn was where he usually was, which was at work for Cantor Fitzgerald in its offices in the North Tower of the World Trade Center.  Jjmmy Quinn was only twenty-three years old. 

He had played basketball at Xavierian High School in Brooklyn and, thereafter, had been the student manager of the basketball team at Manhattan College, where his fellow students nicknamed him "the Mayor".  He loved sports and rooted passionately for his beloved New York Mets.  

At the time of Jimmy's death on September 11, 2001, his younger brother Joe was a 21-year-old Cadet at the United States Military Academy in West Point.  Upon his graduation from West Point, Joe Quinn has served this nation with distinction, both as a member of the United States Army and in other capacities, which service included multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.  

In 2015, the Brothers Quinn (Michael and Joe), decided upon a way to ensure Jimmy Quinn's life and legacy shall not be forgotten while honoring a Brooklyn institution.  Way back when, in 1867, Charles Feltman of Coney Island invented the hot dog, which he marketed as a convenient way for beachgoers to enjoy a frankfurter sausage on a long bun, without dealing with the hassle of plates or silverware.  Feltman's of Coney Island became an institution and Charles Feltman's "Coney Island Red Hots" became the impetus behind the creation of Feltman's Ocean Pavilion in Coney Island, a restaurant that served as many as 10,000 customers a day.   Over time, however, business faded.  In 1954,  Feltman's of Coney Island shuttered its doors - seemingly forever.  

Joe and Michael Quinn brought it back in 2015.  They did so to honor the memory of their brother, Jimmy.  And oh how they have honored it.  Feldman's is a veteran-owned and operated Gold Star business from which has sprung the 3 Brothers Foundation.  Annually, a portion of Feldman's online sales is donated to various organizations, including the Headstrong Project, the Travis Manion Foundation, Tuesday's Children, and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which support and provide assistance for veterans and their loved ones.  

Jimmy Quinn loved the New York Mets.  Annually, since his death twenty Septembers ago, close to 200 members of his family have gathered at Citi Field - wearing a t-shirt created for the occasion - to celebrate the "Annual Jimmy Quinn Mets Game".  On September 11, they gather to read his name at the 9/11 Memorial ceremony.  

You'll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn.  Each and every one as mighty as the next.  

May it always be so. 

-AK