When Jeff Grier began sketching a tribute to American heroes after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he never imagined how far-reaching his drawing would one day become.  Nearly two years later, his piece has been seen by millions of people worldwide as the image continues to circulate via e-mail and the Internet.  It has been worn by thousands of people on T-shirts and hangs in countless military offices and fire stations across the country.
However, the biggest tribute to Grier's work, "I'll Take It From Here," will be on June 13.  That's when the Madison High School art teacher will present his oil painting to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., where it will be displayed indefinitely.
A Pentagon official became familiar with Grier's painting on the Internet. The sketch, which Grier has adapted into an oil painting, shows a New York firefighter in World Trade Center rubble handing an American flag to a U.S. Army soldier.
In the background, military jets fly in the air, and the World Trade Center towers still remain standing among the New York City skyline.
Madison High math teacher Tom Hernan first conceived the concept, which he asked Grier to put onto paper.
Hernan said the picture represents life before, during and after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Two cut panels are connected to the main board to help separate the three time frames.
When Hernan heard of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, he was in Youngstown, burying his father, William - a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.
"The biggest thing was the story of the firefighters that went in (to the World Trade Center towers), the bravery of the firefighters," said Hernan, of Madison Township.
He likened the rescue workers' efforts to the first World War II troops who stormed Normandy Beach in France.
Although rumor has it that the firefighter was modeled after Hernan, Grier said he attempted to make the likeness of the soldier and firefighter represent all men and women in the military and public service fields.
"I tried to make them as nonspecific as possible so they can relate to a wide range of rescue workers," Grier said.
The 32-year-old art teacher, who lives in Denmark Township with his wife, Liz, and 2-year-old daughter, Virginia, came to Madison High School two years ago, shortly before the Sept. 11 attacks. He previously was an art teacher at Jefferson High School.
Grier's drawing first gained wide attention a few months after the Sept. 11 attacks.
That was when Hernan used the likeness on T-shirts and raised $14,000 for military personnel in a special forces unit that survived battles in the Middle East.
T-shirt requests came from as far as Texas, Oregon, South Dakota, New Hampshire and Florida, with some orders still trickling in today.
Once the first batch of T-shirts was produced, some were given to U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Madison Village.
The congressman presented Jackie Tilton
Staff Writer
When Jeff Grier began sketching a tribute to American heroes after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he never imagined how far-reaching his drawing would one day become.
Nearly two years later, his piece has been seen by millions of people worldwide as the image continues to circulate via e-mail and the Internet.
It has been worn by thousands of people on T-shirts and hangs in countless military offices and fire stations across the country.
However, the biggest tribute to Grier's work, "I'll Take It From Here," will be on June 13.
That's when the Madison High School art teacher will present his oil painting to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., where it will be displayed indefinitely.
A Pentagon official became familiar with Grier's painting on the Internet. The sketch, which Grier has adapted into an oil painting, shows a New York firefighter in World Trade Center rubble handing an American flag to a U.S. Army soldier.
In the background, military jets fly in the air, and the World Trade Center towers still remain standing among the New York City skyline.
Madison High math teacher Tom Hernan first conceived the concept, which he asked Grier to put onto paper.
Hernan said the picture represents life before, during and after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Two cut panels are connected to the main board to help separate the three time frames.
When Hernan heard of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, he was in Youngstown, burying his father, William - a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.
"The biggest thing was the story of the firefighters that went in (to the World Trade Center towers), the bravery of the firefighters," said Hernan, of Madison Township.
He likened the rescue workers' efforts to the first World War II troops who stormed Normandy Beach in France.
Although rumor has it that the firefighter was modeled after Hernan, Grier said he attempted to make the likeness of the soldier and firefighter represent all men and women in the military and public service fields.
"I tried to make them as nonspecific as possible so they can relate to a wide range of rescue workers," Grier said.
The 32-year-old art teacher, who lives in Denmark Township with his wife, Liz, and 2-year-old daughter, Virginia, came to Madison High School two years ago, shortly before the Sept. 11 attacks. He previously was an art teacher at Jefferson High School.
Grier's drawing first gained wide attention a few months after the Sept. 11 attacks.
That was when Hernan used the likeness on T-shirts and raised $14,000 for military personnel in a special forces unit that survived battles in the Middle East.
T-shirt requests came from as far as Texas, Oregon, South Dakota, New Hampshire and Florida, with some orders still trickling in today.
Once the first batch of T-shirts was produced, some were given to U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Madison Village.
The congressman presented them to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Madison Schools Superintendent Stan W. Heffner also vigorously promoted the drawing.
"It definitely moved a lot of people," Hernan said.
Since Grier's drawing has been e-mailed across the country and overseas, Grier gets countless requests to reproduce it.
"It just kept spreading like wildfire," he said. "It's kind of developed a life of its own."
The image also was used on a U.S. Air Force commemorative coin.
The image is copyrighted. But Grier allows reproductions, as long as any proceeds are given to U.S. military personnel or firefighters and their families.
Grier also is not making any money for allowing the Pentagon to hold his painting. He considers the opportunity an honor itself.
Other people have claimed ownership of the drawing.
Stories spreading through the Internet also stated a U.S. Marine waiting to be deployed to Afghanistan sketched the image, Grier said.
Later, the story said a military service personnel sketched the drawing while waiting to go to Iraq.
"To think that someone would claim ownership is kind of a compliment," Grier said. "This is just the icing on the cake, to have this displayed at the Pentagon."
Grier, Hernan and their families will travel to Washington, D.C., next week for the June 13 ceremony, at which they will present it at the Pentagon.
Grier said he also will sign reprints of the painting while in the nation's capital.
A graduate from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and a Coshocton native, Grier has always had his fingers in the arts.
"I've been painting all my life, as long as I can remember," he said.
By working on the piece at school, Grier also has been able to demonstrate skills to students as they witnessed the painting transform over the past few months.
The painting will be on display in the school cafeteria during school hours on Thursday and Friday and during graduation Saturday, before it has to be packed in preparation for its debut in Washington, D.C.