When a Shorewood couple's three adult children and two grandchildren living in New York were devastated by the tragedy of September 11, they felt at a loss for how to bring their loved ones peace.
"Like most New Yorkers, after the disaster, our children struggled to come to terms with what had happened in their wonderful city and questioned how they could go on," said Susan Montgomery. "We spent many hours with them on the phone, encouraging them to have faith in the future and in themselves to survive and succeed."
Susan said her son Tripp was especially devastated that day, as the entire small brokerage firm he had worked with when he had first moved to New York had perished when the towers collapsed.
"These were the people who were mentors for him as he learned the financial business," said Susan. "They were all at a breakfast meeting that morning at the Windows on the World and they all died."
All of the Montgomery's children lost people they knew in the World Trade Center that day, and "were in the midst of all the chaos and debris and smoke in lower Manhattan…They had to struggle home that day through all the terror going on," said Susan.
During a conversation in Miss Katie's Diner on a Sunday morning over what they could do to help, Susan and Todd Montgomery decided to put their photography and writing abilities to use. They created a book, "What Really Matters Now…," a collaboration of photos taken by Todd, a photographer for over 35 years and narrated with inspirational passages by Susan, a writer by trade.
The couple originally published the book late last year through Chestnut Communications, Inc., a publishing company owned by Susan. To date the book has sold almost 4,000 copies and recently the couple sold it to Peter Pauper Press in New York, a national gift book publisher since 1928.
The 96-page book is comprised of black and white photos, taken mostly by Todd. The photos scale a range of years, dating back to 1969, and display images from around the world, including New York City, Nepal, San Diego and Milwaukee. The photos have in common a definitive-moment quality, capturing the sweet cry of an infant child or the simple quietude of an early morning surf at the beach.
"Rugby," a photograph taken in 1969 at what is now UWM's soccer field, is a classic image -- a group of man clad in striped shirts and white shorts, battle to take control of the ball. Beloved Milwaukee artist Schomer Lichtner is featured in "Win and Schomer at His 90th," sharing a dance with his wife. Today, Lichtner is 96 and, "still dancing his life away," according to Susan.
A sentence in the book's preface reads, "Savor life because life is fragile and life is precious -- an uncomplicated piece of advice but one which, in this time of uncertainty, is sometimes hard to embrace."
This is the message the Montgomery's hope to impart, not only to their children but to all who read the book, hoping to remind their audience of the simple and positive things that exist universally in all our lives.
Along with a career as a financial advisor and manager at RW Baird, Todd Montgomery has also dedicated his life to photography. He has traveled the world, once serving as the official photographer for a climb of Mount Makulu in Nepal in 1973, sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Museum. His work was recently displayed at New York's Agora Gallery in December 2001. Some of Todd's photos are also on permanent display in Sakura, a Japanese restaurant in Fox Point, and Ichiban in Milwaukee.
"What Really Matters Now…" can be found at the Harry Schwartz Bookshop, Amazon.com and select Hallmark stores, or can be ordered specially at any major bookstore.
