Grinches

Tree honoring dead boys stolen from school
Blue spruce tree was planted in memory of two brothers who died in fire

By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Staff writer Last updated: 1:23 p.m., Wednesday, December 3, 2008
TROY -- Someone cut down and stole a 9-foot-tall blue spruce tree from Public School 14 planted in memory of two young brothers who died in a fire at their mother's home in Pittstown eight years ago. "It's part of school. I was heartbroken,'' said first-grade teacher Beth Behan, who discovered the freshly cut stump outside her classroom on Wednesday morning.
Behan knew the fire victims: 7-year-old David Trudell and his brother, Jacob, 6.
"I had David in my class," Behan recalled. "He was a sweet little boy.''
Her students were dismayed by the destruction of the memorial tree, which they observed daily, studying the birds and squirrels it attracted.
Behan said the class had planned to put seed bells in the tree to feed the birds.
Principal Karen Cloutier said the school at 1700 Tibbits Ave. would raise funds to replace the tree and install a plaque to honor the two Trudell brothers.
City police are investigating the crime.