Firefighter Robert King Jr.

Engine 33, FDNY

Firefighter King Jr.'s Act of Heroism

Over 400 first responders lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Heroically performing their sworn duty, these firefighters, members of the NYPD and PAPD, and numerous other rescue workers will forever be remembered for their sacrifice.

My Hero

Robert C. King Jr. was married on a Saturday and had to be back at the Fire Academy nine days later. On their honeymoon, the couple read academy manuals and practiced tying emergency knots. "For the nine years he was on the job, he always came home happy," Theresa King said.

Firefighter King, 36, was an avid woodworker. His company, Engine 33 in the East Village, eats off a trestle table he made that seats more than 20. Expanding the wood shop in the firehouse basement, he made a table for the watch room, and cabinets for some firefighter friends who had helped him work on his house in Bellerose Terrace, on Long Island.

At home, there were the bunk beds for his two boys, and paneling and more cabinets. Theresa King's favorite piece is a waist-high oak Quaker table for her vestibule. His sister Joann DeTommaso's favorite is a wooden dump truck he made for her son. His mother, Audrey, loves a jewelry box he fashioned. And Adirondack chairs, big and child-size. His children are Thomas, 6, Elizabeth, 5, and Stephen, who will be 3 on Sunday.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on September 10, 2002.
Information courtesy of the Remember 9/11/2001 memorial site on legacy.com