This website is dedicated to the life and memory of David Tengelin.
Maintained by his brother, Patric Tengelin, it serves as a collection of essays, archival material, and other resources documenting David's life, his experiences in New York City, and the legacy he left behind.
When David Tengelin arrived in New York on January 4, 1999, he was twenty-three years old, unemployed, and uncertain about what the future would hold. The New York Public Library and Bryant Park became part of how he established himself in the city. After his death on September 11, 2001, Bryant Park honored that connection by presenting his family with a memorial chair bearing his name. More than two decades later, the plaque has been renewed. This essay traces David’s relationship with Bryant Park through history, remembrance, and continuation, placing his story alongside the writers and generations of New Yorkers who found refuge, community, and belonging there.
Family Witness to 9/11 — Returning to Ground Zero Over the Years
A personal account of returning to New York across more than two decades, documenting how Ground Zero, the memorials, public ceremonies, and the surrounding city have changed as the events of September 11 gradually passed from immediate memory into history.
Letters From David Tengelin: A 9/11 Memorial in His Own Words
A collection of letters, journal entries, and personal writings preserved from David’s time in New York. Together they provide a firsthand record of his experiences, ambitions, observations, and daily life in the years leading up to September 11, allowing readers to encounter his own voice directly through the words he left behind.
The Legacy of David “Swede” Tengelin (1976–2001)
A biographical essay tracing David's journey from Sweden to Arizona and ultimately to New York City. Through soccer, friendship, and everyday life in Manhattan, it reconstructs the communities and places that shaped his final years—from Sunday evenings playing in Prospect Park with friends from his Arizona years to Tuesday-night matches with the D. Boon All-Stars on the rooftop fields at Pier 40 overlooking the Hudson River. It also revisits memorable moments along the way, including a summer afternoon at Yankee Stadium when we unknowingly witnessed David Cone's perfect game.
Drawing upon journal entries written from the 100th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, this essay preserves David's own reflections on New York, his work, and the city he worked so hard to make his home. Through his own words, readers gain a window into the ambitions, optimism, and sense of possibility that defined this chapter of his life.
Sourcebook Project (In Progress)
A long-term archival project bringing together documents, photographs, correspondence, newspaper coverage, interviews, journals, family records, and other primary source material relating to David's life. The goal is to create the most complete historical record possible, preserving not only the major events of his life but also the details, relationships, places, and experiences that might otherwise be lost over time.
Oral History Project (Planned)
Following completion of the Sourcebook Project, I intend to record a comprehensive oral history based upon my own memories and experiences. Drawing upon decades of research, family records, photographs, correspondence, journals, and archival material, the project will serve as a detailed first-person account of David’s life, our family, and the years surrounding his time in New York. The purpose is not only to preserve memories, but to leave behind a permanent historical record for future generations after those with firsthand knowledge are no longer here to tell the story themselves.
An online memorial record containing biographical information.