Entrepreneur tries to pitch Sept. 11 victims trading cards

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published Friday, April 19, 2002

MIAMI -- A Florida businessman is creating a series of trading cards based on the lives of people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, an enterprise some victims' families call crass but others have embraced.

About 20 families gave Kingsley Barham, former stockbroker from Delray Beach, Fla., biographic information and photographs of their relatives who died in the attacks to use on the cards.

"It shows what we lost as a nation and the world," Barham said. "People don't have an idea what they lost. Collectively the cards can tell the story of what we lost."

After initially considering the cards as tasteless, Lynn Faulkner said Thursday he saw them as a way to honor his wife, Wendy, who died while attending a meeting at the World Trade Center.

"The more I thought about it, the more I felt good about trying to provide one more way for the world to appreciate what I thought were some remarkable qualities about my wife," Faulkner said.

Danielle Lemack, who lost her mother on American Airlines Flight 11, said if contacted she would refuse to provide information for a trading card.

"I think this is an atrocious way to 'honor' the people who tragically were lost on that day," she said.

Barham's company, Chestnut Publications, has produced cards for hemp and medical marijuana. He said he didn't think those would sell after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"It took me a week to realize that the nation was swimming to the right real fast and I wasn't going to be selling any more hemp cards," Barham said.

He started contacting families this spring and reached more than 80, with 20 submitting information. He is trying to reach others and does not plan to create cards of the hijackers.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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