CHANUTE ? A Chanute florist plans to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with a new expression of freedom actually, more than 10,000 of them.

Alex “A.L.” Pitts plans to distribute 10,200 roses on Wednesday, the day he’s chosen to celebrate the floral industry’s Good Neighbor Day. This year he placed an order with Florist Trans-World Delivery, the national floral company, for 10,200 roses the largest single order received by FTD in the United States in connection with the special day.

Good Neighbor Day is traditionally observed on the first Wednesday in September, but Pitts thought Sept. 11 would be more appropriate this year, and he’s hoping his idea catches on.

“Before, the rose stood for friendship and love,” Pitts said. Now, after what happened a year ago, he thinks the flower has taken on additional meaning as “our symbol of freedom.”

“It’s really a tribute to our fallen heroes for the New York firefighters and the New York police, and even the ones on the airliners that said, ‘Let’s roll,”‘ he said.

For the last six years Pitts, 67, has observed the Good Neighbor Day by handing out 2,500 roses to Chanute residents. But this year he upped his order to 10,200 of the flowers.

The Navy veteran is paying for 2,500 of the roses, as he’s done in past years, with community donations funding the other 7,700.

He plans to give a dozen roses to people stopping by his Four Seasons Floral shop on Wednesday, with the idea that they should keep one and give the 11 others to friends.

Pitts also hopes to place roses in every hospital and nursing home in Chanute, St. Paul, Erie and Humboldt.