Crystal appointed to 9/11 memorial board

NEW YORK, July 18 (UPI) -- The National September 11 Memorial and Museum announced it has named comedian and native New Yorker Billy Crystal to its board of directors.

New York Gov. David Paterson was also appointed honorary trustee at the Memorial and Museum's quarterly meeting, officials said Thursday.

"I would like to welcome Billy Crystal and Gov. Paterson to the Board of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum," the Memorial and Museum's chairman and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. "Billy Crystal is not only renowned in the entertainment industry but he is a native New Yorker who has time and again put his talent and energy into helping this city. Gov. Paterson has shown great leadership for New York and his support will help advance progress on the Memorial and Museum."

"The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, changed our city and our country forever. The Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center are an opportunity to demonstrate New York's strength and resolve, while ensuring that the memory of the lives lost are never forgotten," Crystal said. "I am honored to join this prestigious board and contribute to the creation of a permanent national memorial."