A playground structure, a pear tree, a post office and a clock, seemingly random items, yet all memorials of an amazing man: Michael Rothberg.
Michael graduated from Sharon High School in 1980 as a charismatic, outgoing student and died on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center; however, his hometown of Sharon continues to honor his life and legacy.
“Funny.” That was the one word Rhonda Dizney, Michael’s sister, used to describe her older brother when she spoke to a Sharon High journalism class a week before the 9/11 anniversary. Dizney said he truly was a funny person, experiencing his comedy firsthand as his younger sister, through accounts of teasing and joking.
For Michael’s mother, Iris Rothberg, who spoke with Dizney, “unassuming” was the best one word representation of who Michael was. 
Specifically, she described one day when he was biking around Old Greenwich, Connecticut, an activity he frequently partook in, when a historical house with a yard sale out front caught his eye. Although none of the items at the sale attracted him, Michael immediately asked if he could purchase the house. Within weeks, the house was his.
It was this spontaneity and humility that made Michael Rothberg who he was.
At this time, while Michael was living in Old Greenwich, he was working at the firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, in the financial district in New York City. One morning, he went into work just as he had done every other day. At 8:46 AM, a hijacked plane crashed into the North Tower, a few floors below where Michael and his colleagues were working.
Firefighters and rescuers climbed up many of the floors, even floors approaching the plane collision itself, yet it was impossible to rescue anyone above the floors where the plane hit. Many of those who were trapped there were never recovered.
“We never found Michael,” Rhonda said.
To this day, Michael’s memory still lives on. While national ceremonies and annual events have been introduced to commemorate the lives lost on 9/11, the town of Sharon and its residents have made an effort to ensure Michael Rothberg’s legacy is never forgotten.
A local school, Heights Elementary, has built and dedicated a playground structure in his name. The structure, named “Michael’s Web,” features a plaque nearby, and following a detailed rendition of Michael’s life, a short poem reads:
“Little hands and little feet
Climbing to and fro
Michael’s Web is such a treat
C’mon, get set, let’s go!”
In addition, in the center of town, two memorials of Michael are present.
First, in the town’s center, sits the “Michael C. Rothberg Post Office.” The honor of a post office being named after a person is both a very rare and special occasion, deserving of a man as influential as Michael.
Second, a memorial clock stands outside the town hall, with Michael’s name engraved on it forever. His father Jay, in a speech at its dedication in 2010, remarked, “The only gift that Michael did not have was the gift of time. . . . But Michael spent his 39 years wisely, using every precious minute he had to make a difference to his parents, his sister, his friends, and to mankind.” Jay Rothberg died in 2020, nearly 19 years after he lost his son.
Finally, the Sharon Fire Department has especially ensured Michael’s legacy lives on with their pear tree memorial.
After the events of 9/11, there was one item still standing among the rubble: a pear tree. Thus, the 9/11 Memorial Museum partnered with local businesses and corporations to start the Survivor Tree Seedling Program. This program provides seedlings from the original pear tree (that still stands, to this day!) to communities either struggling from terrorist attacks or seeking to remember the significance of a life lost on September 11, 2001.
Mike Madden, a firefighter who is now the chief of the Fire Department, wrote an explanation and proposal for why Sharon deserves one of these seedlings, seeking to commemorate the incredible Michael Rothberg. Madden obtained a seedling from the tree, which has since been planted at the fire station. The pear tree is accompanied by benches and a written dedication to Michael, cementing his name in Sharon’s history. 
Sharon continues to honor him every single day, in his memorials and the people that still retell his story, remembering to never forget a man so extraordinary: Michael Rothberg.