There is no day more memorable in post-new-millenium America than Sept. 11, 2001. Despite the eight years that have passed between then and now, most Americans can recall in vivid color exactly where they where when they first learned of the attacks on 9/11.
So, in a special tribute to those lost on that fateful day, and those who survived but were forever changed, we asked readers, friends, neighbors and co-workers to share their memories of that fateful day and how it changed their lives.
"On September 11, 2001 I was working as General Manager for First City Cycles. That morning the owner called to say "turn on the TV, a plane just hit the World Trade Center." I initially thought it must be a small private plane, but when I turned on the TV it was obvious that the damage was not caused by a small plane; I immediately thought "terrorism." When the second plane hit, there was no doubt that this was a horrendous act of terror. As I watched the towers collapse, first one and then the other, I remember thinking "the world just changed forever; things will never be the same."
For weeks afterward, and to some degree even today, my predominate emotion was and is rage; rage at a mindless act of violence rooted the abandonment of reason in favor religious fanaticism and barbarism."
Jerry Cameron, Assistant St. Johns County Administrator
"I was in my apartment getting ready for class during my sophomore year at Florida State University and my father called to tell me to turn on the TV I remember yelling across the hall to wake my roommate up and then staring, transfixed, at the screen. The Sept. 11 attacks and the way our country rallied together in the aftermath left an indelible mark on me. The biggest change to my life was my commitment to live in the present and appreciate life for what it is right now."
Sara Kaufman, Staff Writer, The Ponte Vedra Recorder
"I was sitting in front of the computer in my office in Atlanta, watching it all unfold through Bloomberg news. My company lost all communication when the South Tower fell as our antenna was on top of it. I tore out of the office and drove home, remembering that my cousins both worked on Wall Street. She stayed home, but her husband was unreachable for 12 hours. Turns out that he was on lock down on the floor of the NYSE. I think I sat in front of the TV for almost 48 hours straight, my mouth hanging open in disbelief, horror and agony over what I had just witnessed. I also sat there thinking that our lives would never be the same again."
Erin K. Smith, Sales Coordinator, Ponte Vedra Recorder
"In September of 2001 I was performing on the Alhambra stage with the musical Pump Boys & Dinettes. On September 11th I was reminded of one of the reasons why "the show must go on." As entertainers, we have the ability to make people happy when sometimes nothing else can. And that is what we did on that most fateful night, as difficult as it was. And at the end of the evening, the audience cheered and thanked us. It was surreal. Before we closed the curtain that night, I led the cast and audience in a favorite hymn as we collected money for the American Red Cross. You see, acting is a hard life. Gigs come and go and are very rarely steady. When I am not singing somewhere, I personally earn a living on an airplane as a flight attendant for American Airlines. I lost friends and co-workers on those planes that day, and then to have to perform that very evening, seemed impossible. But the strength of the Alhambra audience, and their need for a smile saw me through. And then when the tears overtook me, and I could not sing anymore, a lady came up to the stage from the audience, sat down beside me, took my microphone and helped me sing the rest of Amazing Grace. I will never forget that beautiful and somber moment with the fine folks of Jacksonville. They needed our entertainment, and I really needed them. They were there.."
Gail Bliss, Actress, The Alhambra Dinner Theatre
"On September 11th, 2001, I was working in the Fire Rescue 911 Communications Center when we received a call to turn on the television; the World Trade Center was on fire. We continued to watch as the towers collapsed. Our hearts went out not only to the dispatchers of New York City – who suddenly had no radio contact with their units - but also to the citizens and responders who survived and died that day. It changed us forever. We are better prepared to perform during events of this magnitude whereas before, we never dreamed it could happen."
Gia M. Reynolds,St. Johns County Fire Rescue
911 Communications Coordinator
"I was at PVPV Elementary that morning as my daughter, Madison, had earned enough reading points to be the "speaker" for the announcements that day and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I was so proud! It was ironic that she was saying the pledge so loud and proud on a day that turned into such tragedy.
Not long after she did the announcements, I went into the Rawlings cafeteria for a PTO gathering and that is when we all started hearing the news and turned on the TV. Many moms were frantic and crying. I remember one mom was so frightened as her husband was a pilot and at that point, we didn’t know much. Some went to the front offices and pulled their kids from class and took them home. I resisted that temptation as I didn’t want to scare my children but it was hard. When they got home from school that day, I hugged and kissed them to pieces and did my best to reassure them they were safe and very loved!! It was a frightening day that will be entrenched in my memory forever."
Wendy Lanius, Ponte Vedra Resident
"I was vacationing with three of my girlfriends in Positano, Italy when we heard the news. In fact, we were out on a boat taking a day cruise along the Amalfi Coast and an Italian friend of one of our group called to see if we had heard the news. Luckily one of us had secured a cell phone that worked in Europe and we used it to get through and find out more information. Since my son often traveled to New York on business, all I wanted to do is find out if he was OK. The other girls just wanted to do the same as well. When we returned to shore, all any of us wanted to do was to get back home. Two of us decided to go to Paris and try to get home from there, but my friend and I stayed in Positano because we felt we were going to be stranded for a long time and Positano was much cheaper than Paris. We finally got out after 10 days by flying to London then back to the US. Everyone in Positano could not have been nicer to us and in fact, they had a memorial service in the cathedral in town. Although we understood not a word of the service, we were comforted by it and by the kindness of the people. I remember feeling so lost and so cut off from my country.
Soon after returning home, my company which was involved in travel went to a four day work week and I knew the industry as I knew it would never by the same. I decided then and there to make some radical changes to my life and to embrace new opportunities when they presented themselves to me. One year later I met my now husband who lived in Ponte Vedra at our high school reunion and six months after that, I took a job in St. Augustine and moved to Ponte Vedra Beach."
Ginger Lilley Peace,
Executive Director Ponte Vedra Beach Chamber of Commerce
"I was teaching at Palmer Trinity School in Miami . I was on a break in my friend’s classroom talking on the phone to another friend. All of a sudden in the middle of the conversation, Ellen yelled," put your TV on". We did and immediately alerted everyone in the school. ( I went to Lee’s class, told the teacher to turn on the TV , took Lee aside and told him to go home). By mid morning all the student were leaving the school. Needless to say, I feel as all Americans must -that the innocence of our country was gone and everything would be changed forever."
Susan Patterson, Teacher, St. Joseph Academy
"I was home sick from work. My mother called me to tell me to turn the television on. I watched all of the reported horror from the hitting of the second plane right through to the United flight going down. I remember everyone being frightened that a new war was starting — it all happened so fast. We all learned that our country was vulnerable. I don’t think I’ve ever known a single person that didn’t think so — we understand the truth now, and take precautions, even in our every day lives. It was a moment that reaffirmed that it’s important to live every day to its fullest – every day is a gift, not to be squandered because, you just never know. I still have the USA Today from September 12, 2001 somewhere."
Cindy Felker, inside sales/classifieds, The Ponte Vedra Recorder
"I was at work at the Supreme Court of Florida. When the first plane hit, it was surreal to me watching it play over on TV. Staff gathered near the TV monitor upstairs to watch the events unfold. After the second plane hit, I remember wanting to leave the Court to go home and get my kids from school. I was so worried that the Florida Capitol would be attacked to punish President Bush by going after Governor Bush. The Capitol and the Supreme Court are adjacent to one another. I picked my younger son up from Temple Israel Pre-school, they closed the school for the day due to the uncertainty of what was going on. I called the elementary school where my other two sons were and they asked we not pick up the kids until the end of the day. My husband, Joe came home for lunch and stayed home the rest of the day it was too shocking to go back to work. To this day, I do not like low flying planes. We moved from Tallahassee less than a year later to Ponte Vedra Beach where my husband accepted a new job. The move was a great opportunity for me slow the pace down to work part-time from home and spend more time with my kids. The events of 911 put our life and priorities into perspective."
Eve Janocko, Ponte Vedra Resident
"My husband called from work and told me to turn on the TV. We watched-the second plane hit connected by the phone line-I remember exactly where I was standing-the realization that this was not a terrible accident but an act of war. I firmly believe in the need for on the ground intelligence, good international relations and a strong military.
The American people cannot dictate international policy … we just cannot understand the complexity or the hard decisions that our leaders are trusted to make. If these decisions are made transparent to us-they are also transparent to those who would do detest the hope and freedom that is America."
Cyndi Stevenson, St. Johns County Commissioner
"My memory of that day was utter shock, disbelief, and horror. I was in a board room working as VP of Sales and Marketing training a group of sales people on a new product when my cell phone rang. It was my husband calling to tell me the first plane had hit the World Trade Center. Knowing that both of his brothers worked in the financial district in New York, with his youngest brother in fact working directly across the street from the World Trade Center we feared the worst. He could not reach either of them because of the chaos going on in the city at the time so he was very concerned something terrible had happened to them. It wasn’t until late in the day that he heard their story, and how they walked for miles to get away, and that they were finally safe at home with their families. We immediately pulled our children from school (they were 11 and 4) and hunkered down in our house and watched the TV non-stop. That evening we heard that Our lady Star of the Sea was having a special impromptu Mass so even though we were afraid to go outside we knew we would feel better there with others. We never listened more attentively than we did that night to both the words spoken and sung. We were scared, but we were proud of our faith and the freedom that being an American gave us to practice it in the country we loved and mourned for that night!
Abby Vega, Ponte Vedra Businesswoman
"It is interesting because I share with my students each year about where I was and what I remember. I was a freshman in college on that Tuesday morning. I had attended my 8:00 a.m. English class (I know 8:00 a.m., what was I thinking? I was a freshman.) When I left that class, it seemed as though there was a strange sense around campus, everyone on their phone calling family and friends. I walked into my Intro to Psychology class and the professor came into the room and announced that he needed to know what web site had a scrolling news alert that he could get on. He proceeded to put a movie on and go to his office. He came back within minutes to announce that our country was under attack. Class was canceled and he told us all to go home and watch the news. Leaving that class the campus had erupted in a frenzy of panic and a sense of total uncertainty.
When watching it on the news all I could think of was that one month to the day before, August 11 2001 I had taken pictures off of my aunt and uncle’s porch with the twin towers as the backdrop. It was incredible to see them fall to the ground. The sense of fear was something that you could feel for the rest of the day. With my family in the city, we worked for hours to reach them. Luckily they were fine, but my cousin’s school, only blocks from the World Trade Center was dismissed in chaos.
It is truly a day I will never forget. It’s incredible to think that it was 8 years ago."
Nita Hurley, Teacher, Discovery Montessori School
"I remember it very vividly. My twins who are now 8 were about 6 months old. Initially I thought it may have been an accident with a smaller plane but then as my wife and I were watching it on T. V. the other plane hit the other building. At that point it became evident that it was a terrorist act. I remember being in shock and I remember how glued I was to the T. V. for the next few days watching coverage.
It’s made me appreciate the relative security we have within the United States. We don’t live with a constant threat of violence here. It has made me appreciate what our military does to ensure that."
Phil Mays, District 4 County Commissioner
"Our office opens at 8:00 a.m., at 9:11 a.m., the sister of one of my employees called and said the World Trade Center had been hit. We then ran next door to Watson Real Estate, where they have a TV. We all watched in horror as the second plane hit. We had clients all around the world, and a couple at the Marriott at the World Trade Center, and one in Manhattan. Everything shut down. The phones went crazy, clients wanted to come home, and some were afraid to get on another plane. Some drove home from as far away as California. If you recall we had a Tropical Storm churning toward us as well. We worked all weekend and were able to get everyone home, by I think Sunday.
We were in the middle of adopting a child from China. We had saved enough money, but not to keep the business going AND adopt. So, after much praying, we put the adoption on hold, and put money into the business to keep it alive. It was a tough choice."
Celeste Burger, Ponte Vedra Resident
"I was in my tenth grade high school biology class when rumors started to circulate about the World Trade Center being hit by an airplane. There were no announcements made by school officials and the teacher did not allow us to watch news coverage on television. It wasn’t until my last class of the day that I first witnessed the events that had unfolded. My French teacher had the television tuned into the news coverage and we spent the entire class watching in horror. The events of 9/11 made me realize just how quickly things can change. September 11, 2001 started just like any other day. How many people rushed out the door without giving their children or significant others a hug and telling them they loved them? I’ve learned to make sure those I care about know just how much I care and love them. You never know when the breath you take may be your last one."
Shane Griffis, Reporter, The Ponte Vedra Recorder
"I was actually in Washington D.C. in my office when I was working for the Justice Department. I was on the tenth floor in a building about two blocks from the White House. I actually had CNN on and the coverage came on. I thought someone had actually changed the channel. I remember it very vividly and I remember telling my staff to leave.
It made me realize how precious life is. Not too shortly after that I decided I would retire. It did change my life dramatically. It made me appreciate loved ones and friends and made me look at things from a different perspective."
Ken Bryan, District 5 County Commissioner
"Mom, a plane just hit the twin towers in New York!" I could hear the shock in our daughter Abby’s voice as she called from Texas — my first inkling of what had happened on the day we now call 9/11.
A few minutes later, our daughter Nan was on the phone with the same message — and fear: a high school friend of hers worked in one of those towers, and so did Bill, the husband of a family whose children she baby sat for during the years we lived within sight of them.
For 17 years before we moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in January 2000, we could glimpse their rooftops as we drove the main street of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, past the high school and the town hall, just before the Catholic church.
For our daughters, they were an icon of the nearby metropolis. For many residents of our town who commuted to the city, they were a workday destination.
And so began a long day in front of the TV, with the phone close at hand, trying to reach former neighbors, friends — and family members, too.
After the Pentagon was hit, I tried to reach my cousin Bob, a civilian employee of the Department of Defense. Unable to get through to him, I called his parents. It took a while, but they found out that Bob’s office was in a different part of the building and he was unhurt. Good news.
Nan heard good news also: her friend Gretchen had just gotten on the escalator from the Tubes into the building when firemen arrived and sent everyone back the way they had come. Bill was at work, but on a floor low enough that he was able to escape and make his way home.
He was one of five members of our former church who worked in the twin towers. Over the course of the next few days, we learned that four of them were, like Bill, safe. But Chip was not so lucky. He left a widow and two young sons.
In all, more than a dozen residents of our small town were among the victims of 9/11. A kindergarten teacher we knew said five of her students lost a parent that day.
I’m sure those numbers could be repeated in any of the hundreds of small towns that make up New York City and its environs. To this day, there may be a gaping wound in lower Manhattan, but there are hundreds of other wounds still in the process of healing all through the metropolitan area … and among those of us who once called it home."
Kathy Cramer, Ponte Vedra Resident
and former Managing Editor of The Ponte Vedra Recorder
"I was still working as retail store manager and on that morning I was going through my morning paperwork as normal. A customer came in and told one of my employees that the "World Trade Center" had been blown up. He obviously didn’t have all the facts but we were both taken aback from what he told us. So we tuned the radio to NPR to find out what was going on. When we were able to listen to the news broadcast I can remember the feeling of shock that I felt at hearing what was going on. Like everyone else I stayed glued to the news reports for the rest of the day.
Soon I began to get calls from friends to ask if I had heard the news. Then I began to call friends that I knew had family in New York as well as calling a friend who had just enlisted to make sure everyone was alright.
That December I traveled to New York. A trip I had planned prior to the events of Sept. 11, but which took on a different mood after that day. When I visited Ground Zero workers were still clearing the debris. The makeshift shrines and the mood in the city are something I will never forget."
Jesse S. Jones, Staff Photographer and Reporter for The Recorder
"On September 11, 2001 I arrived at work at the Hastings Youth Academy, a juvenile justice facility for boys. I taught the computer lab where students, most of whom were several grade levels behind their age cohort, could work on their math and reading skills. It was fairly quiet, with only the usual, ubiquitous tension inherent in HYA, until a class change, when the boys came into the room buzzing with excitement. Excitement is not something I welcomed at HYA, because it sometimes accompanied news of a "take down" or a fight, but this was different. "A plane crashed into one of the World Trade Towers," one of the boys said. At first I didn’t believe him, then I thought maybe a small plane had lost control. As more boys filed into the room, I saw the serious expressions on their faces. When they went to their stations and sat quietly, staring toward the door, I knew something was really wrong. I did not have a TV in my room, so I asked the Youth Care Worker to watch the room while I went next door. By the time I got within sight of a TV, the first tower was burning. I watched a few minutes, hearing the confusion and concern in the reporters’ voices but I had to get back to the classroom, so I returned, not fully aware of what had happened but hoping, assuming, I guess, that the fire would be extinguished after a short time. As the morning went on I felt like I was in an outpost. With each class change, students came in bearing incredible stories and unreliable details. Unfortunately, it was all true. It was impossible to focus on work or school. The rest of the day, and for days afterward, we all walked around in a daze as each act of heroism or tragic story or obituary emerged. I remember it as the quietest time of my three years at HYA."
Tommy Bledsoe, Community Education Coordinator for
St. Johns County
"A photo in the Asheville paper showed the firemen hoisting the flag over the rubble, and I knew I had to make a quilt to remind people forever of this tragedy! This quilt has hung in many places of honor since then. The backing of the quilt is an American flag that has flown over the Pentagon. I thought that was very fitting. There are many tears on this quilt as I would sit and work on it and remember all the ones who died that morning. One of the most moving occasions since then was the morning that a lady came into our Quilt Show in NC, saw the quilt and burst into tears. Her daughter died in one of the World Trade Centers. She told me she was so thrilled that people were taking the time to give remembrance to those who died."
Bonnie Talley, Ponte Vedra Resident and founder
of the Ocean Wave Quilters Guild
"I learned of the tragedy on the radio on the way to work (coaching baseball at Guilford College) after dropping my girls at preschool. It sounded like an accident at first, remembering a plane that had run into the Empire State Building many years ago. I found the reality on the TV in my office. That was the quietest day I have ever experienced on a college campus. Classes went on, but that day was the only day I have ever closed my baseball facility to volunteer workouts. We had a player whose Dad worked in the Pentagon, and another whose Mom worked in New York City. Thankfully, both were spared, but the Mom watched the Trade Center fall from her commuter bus."
Gene Baker, Athletic Director, Ponte Vedra High School
September 11th 2009 - 9:52PM