A beauty queen, a Congressman, and a motorcycle group continue tradition at SC bridge
On Sept. 11, 2001, when Leonard A. Farrington heard about the terrorist attacks in New York, he grabbed his American flag and went to the Sutton Road Bridge in Fort Mill.
He stood on the bridge over Interstate-77 just outside of Rock Hill, S.C., until nightfall. His wife Betty wondered where he had gone.
After the Herald reported about Farrington, a photo of him with his flag captured national attention.
Farrington died in 2012, and the South Carolina legislature unanimously voted to rename the bridge the Leonard A. Farrington 9/11 Memorial Bridge.
Farrington was alone on the bridge in 2001.
Friday morning, dozens of people gathered there to continue Farrington’s tradition. They waved flags as passing cars and trucks -- some headed toward Rock Hill and others headed toward Charlotte -- honked in support.
Among the people on the bridge: Congressman Ralph Norman, donning a bright red hat reading “Trump 2020,” as he shook hands and spoke with participants.
Cheryl McDermott, Ms. South Carolina 2018, also was there. She was a nurse in New Jersey and witnessed injuries from attacks. McDermott waved her flag “not to represent race, not religion, but the people who died for our country.”
One woman, Mollie Rogers, brought her daughter, Sammie, who is in elementary school.
“I decided it was important to teach the children (about 9/11),” Rogers said.
Dylan George, 18, was there. He’s in ROTC at Rock Hill High.
“I’m here for the people who sacrificed their lives,” he said.
Another man rolled an oxygen tank behind him, just like Farrington had done in his final years.
People shared memories, discussing where they had been on that fateful day. Some stopped to educate others about September 11.
Some had witnessed the attack. Others simply saw it on TV. And some, like George, had not been born.
They came from all backgrounds. But they all shared one common goal, Harvey Mayhill of Rolling Thunder said: “to remember that day and support their country.”
The flag waving Friday was organized by the Rolling Thunder motorcyclists group.
Rolling Thunder is a nationwide veterans and prisoner of war/missing in action advocacy group. Its Rock Hill chapter has organized 9/11 flag events on the bridge over I-77 for several years.
Farrington’s wife, Betty, now is 94. This was the first year she didn’t attend the event.
“I’m there in spirit,” she said in a phone interview. “I know Len would have been so proud.”
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 11:48 AM.
