By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, after touring the "New York Remembers" exhibit in Buffalo, said there were hard lessons to be learned from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"9/11 was a vivid, ugly snapshot," Cuomo said. "It was the worst of humanity; it was the best of humanity."

The Burchfield Penney Art Center on the Buffalo State College campus is one of 30 sites around the state exhibiting "New York Remembers." It offers a time line of the day's events, along with items pulled from the World Trade Center, including a smashed Port Authority of New York SUV that was destroyed by debris falling from the twin towers. The governor spent a few minutes touring the exhibit locally, as he did elsewhere in the state. He also met privately with local residents who lost relatives in the attacks in New York and Washington.

"The airplane that hit the (World Trade Center) tower was the manifestation of the worst kind of evil," Cuomo said. "It was an act of cowardice, evil and terror. Minutes later, on the same site, people appeared that were the most courageously and bravely possible. First responders saw people running out (of the towers) and they put themselves in harm's way for others. That is probably the most stark contrast possible."

He said the 10th anniversary is a time to remember but it's also a time to teach, especially younger people who can't comprehend the magnitude of the attacks.

"It was a day that changed each of our lives," said Assemblyman Robin Schimminger. "It changed the world."

"New York Remembers" will be on display at Burchfield Penney through the end of the month. All of the items will be included in an eight-acre National September 11 Memorial & Museum slated to open next fall at the World Trade Center site.