Alumni News: September Feature : September 11 Message Board

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September 11 Message Board

Welcome to the September 11 Message board, a special website where the Binghamton University community can share their accounts and comments regarding the terrorist attacks of September 11. If you were there, what did you see? As you watched the news on TV or listened to the radio, what did you feel? And what do you think about what happened? Perhaps by sharing we can all help one another to cope with what has happened.

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Share your stories and comments here and click submit, it will then be sent to the editor of "Alumni Connect".

Posted by Wen-Lin (Anthony) Wu '95 (mailto:anthony@moeauscct.gov.tw) in Taiwan on September 11, 2001 at 10:43 PM:

Yesterday night, I watched TV in Taiwan and got the news about the World Trade Center & DC. It was very sad for me to hear this news. I had a lot of classmates and friends from NYC when I studied at BU. I HOPE they are all right and GOOD LUCK. At the same time, I just want to show my honest blessing. May God Bless You - American People, BU Staff and Classmates.

GOOD LUCK FOR YOU GUYS!

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Posted by Mirgul Isanova MASS '90 (mailto:mirgulisanova@hotmail.com) in Kazakhstan on September 12, 2001 at 8:43 AM:

This message was sent to Catherine Sentz, senior director of University Development. Isanova worked for a brief time in Sentz's office as a grad assistant just prior to her graduation.

I am horrified with the yeasterday's dreadful events in the United States. I
know how dear NYC and DC are to the hearts of Americans, so they became to
mine. I was crying last night stunned with the nightmare happening out
there. I have some friends there too . . . and consider this tragedy a personal
one! I am terribly sorry for all those people gone, for their relatives and
friends. My deepest sympathies to everyone involved, and I guess, it
involves every single person in the States. I do hope that nothing like that
will ever happen again, and wish you, your family and people around you
safety, peace and enough courage and strength to overcome this crisis.

*************

Posted by Avi Schwartz '95 (mailto:avi.schwartz@us.pwcglobal.com) in Boston on September 12, 2001 at 10:04 AM

Thankfully, I am working in Boston this week. No relatives of mine were impacted either. However, as you can imagine, we had many friends and alumni working at the WTC . I am sad to inform you that two alumni, friends of mine, are as of yet unaccounted for.

There is still hope that they are okay or at least trapped in the rubble, but.... Our hopes and prayers are with them and all the other victims.

Please keep me updated as to other alumni who have been directly impacted
by this senseless tragedy.

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Posted by Steve Assael '70 (mailto:Ahsayel@aol.com) in New York City on September 12, 2001 at 6:23 PM:

Today was a day of deep personal reflection on what really matters in life. And while no scars mar my body, spiritually and psychologically I'm changed for ever.

I was in the building when the first plane hit. The group I was with managed to get into the stairwells fairly quickly, but then from the lower levels a cry came out that smoke was coming up from below. So while those further down were begging people to go up, those above us were screaming to go down.

We finally exited on the 13th floor where we could watch the tragedy unfold. We saw all kinds of debris cascading down from upper floors and I saw a number of bodies in the plaza where I had crossed not so long before. Smoke started permeating the floor which was totally undamaged. The phones were working and not a window was broken.

And with few exceptions everyone remained calm and a few of us who took charge found our directions followed without question. The firefighters got to that level and told us to go down and everyone went for the stairwells. After what seemed to be an interminable amount of time we made it to the bottom and then out of the building.

I crossed the plaza outside the buildings looked back saw some horrific things and then moved away well before the buildings collapsed. I joined the march of "refugees" escaping Manhattan.

Hug your loved ones!

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Posted by Matt Biscuiti (mailto:biscuiti@eudoramail.com) on September 13, 2001 at 12:33 PM:

Go to www.whrwfm.org -- some sad news on the left.

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Posted by Larry Price '86 (mailto:j.price@att.net) in New York City on September 14, 2001 at 1:09 PM:

Hi. I was working for Salomon Smith Barney on the 38th floor of 7 WTC at 8:48AM on 9/11 when the first plane hit. My office looked out with a south view and I had seen the Towers and Ellis Island for the last 8 years. It was a picture postcard view. A coworker of mine, who was there at the time of the bombing 9 years ago, instinctively knew to get out of there and we all got on the first elevator that came (probably not the right thing to do, but we did it anyway) and made it down to the lobby without incident in a couple of minutes. We waited in the lobby until a second crash hit (not the second plane, just debris falling) and evacuated the building.

The second plane hit when I was safely out of immediate danger and several blocks north of there. I reached a pay phone that worked at Park & 34th and let my relatives know I was safe. Ended up walking uptown and over the 59th St, bridge where I then found that subways were running and made it home. I left several personal belongings in the office (all of which are easily replaced - including house keys and cell phone). I am safe and sound, just shattered nerves and horrific images remain. My deepest thoughts and sympathies are with those who have lost loved ones and suffered due to this tragic event. From Laurence for the list of alumni who are safe: Another alumni who worked in 7 WTC and is OK is Frank Cifarelli '87.

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Posted by Jewish Alumni of Binghamton on September 14, 2001 at 1:51 PM:

As you all know this has been a very difficult week for America and the entire world. We have been sent dozens of e-mails from alumni sharing their personal stories of survival. Tragically, not everyone was as lucky. Thousands of people are still listed as missing, many of whom we are sure to know.

One such person is Andrew Zucker '95, a Binghamton University graduate and friend. Andrew was working in his 86th floor office in World Trade Center Tower 2 when the first plane hit and is still missing. Please pray for Andrew's safety and for the many others yet to be found. Please click here to make a prayer for Andrew and to view his brother Stuart's plea: http://hometown.aol.com/sczin11/myhomepage/memorial-crisis.html To learn more about the search for Andrew, please click on CNNÂ’s article below: http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/13/husband.search.focus/

May God save and protect all those who are still missing.

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Posted by Jewish Alumni of Binghamton (mailto:info@jabonline.org) on September 14, 2001 at 3:25 PM:

Please also have Andrew Rosenblum '78 and Marina Gertsberg '97 in your prayers. Andrew Rosenblum was working in the World Trade Center when the terrorists attacked. He has not been heard from since. Andrew is originally from Rockville Centre and is married to alumna Jill Small Rosenblum '79.

Lauren Kaufman '96 tells us that: it is with the utmost sadness that I relay to you that Marina Gertsberg is missing. She was on the 101st floor working at Cantor Fitzgerald in WTC 1 when the plane hit. It was a new job for her, and she was only with the company one week. Her effervescent, true New Yorker spirit, outgoing personality and striking crystal clear blue eyes emblaze our thoughts as family and friends grieve for her and wish for a happy ending. Our prayers are with Marina and all others who were innocently caught in this indescribable ordeal. We hope to see them soon and share our love with them. Please continue to have these friends and all of those who are missing in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

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Posted by John T. Haller '96 (www.johnhaller.com) on September 14, 2001 at 4:56 PM:

I am writing in for a couple of reasons. First, to let everyone know that I am safe, as I used to work on the 15th floor of World Trade Tower 2.

I'm also writing in to say that Clarence Cudanes '95 is also safe as he used to work across the street at Deutsche Bank and that Veronica Price '99 is also safe (she also works across the street). I also wanted to let everyone know not to trust the information in the online Who's Okay databases. Some quite evil individuals have begun entering missing persons information into the Who's Ok databases to trick friends and loved ones.

If you are looking for information on someone, your best bet is to use the online patient search system and confirmed dead lists: http://worldtradeaftermath.com/wta/okay/ and to contact the companies they worked for directly: http://worldtradeaftermath.com/wta/contacts/companies.asp I'm also the one maintaining the above linked to site ( www.WorldTradeAftermath.com ). I've compiled all official information into one location as best I can. If you have any additional information on any of the companies listed or volunteer or donation efforts, please feel free to contact me.

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Posted by Manohar Venkataraman (mailto:Mvenkat007@yahoo.com) on September 14, 2001 at 4:58 PM:

As usual I was taking the 2/3 trains to Wall Street in my casual style, coming up around 9:10am. For some reason the two women on the stairs in front of me halted, and with a New Yorker's impatience I brushed myself past them, only to look up in disorientation. I didn't remember a tickertape parade scheduled for that day, but there was an awful lot of paper up high in the sky, along with an unusual amount of black smoke. Lots of people were looking in the air, and I started walking down towards my workplace at 95 Wall with indifference that was quickly transformed to nervousness when I realized it wasn't an ordinary incident that was happening. When I heard women on the street talking about planes colliding with the WTC I was definitely concerned. The next two hours on my floor with people wandering around between low level cubicles was a disturbing memory. Cell Phones Useless. Web Sites Useless. Limited to the occassional landline call, Instant Messaging and emails - (mis)information constantly coming in, State Department bombs, Pentagon crashes, Sears tower evacuations. Chatting with two co-workers with a distant rumble, a building shake and an announcement by a lady with an external connection that a tower had fallen down - the unthinkable. Day turned to night. The building across the street was unseen. Smoke dissipates, debate leaving. Encouraged not to, going to anyway but then the second tower and the resumption of night. Finally at 11:15, JPMorganChase announces evacuation of the building. Taking the first elevator down and walking all the way upto midtown, running into an old Rugby teammate and alumnus Dave Vermont with his harrowing tale.

Not a day to be forgotten any time soon.

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Posted by Reva Cohen (mailto:reva.cohen@hunter.cuny.edu) on September 14, 2001 at 5:08 PM:

Everything the students, faculty, and staff at Binghamton are doing is so appreciated by us in NYC. I was a volunteer at Chelsea Pier on Wednesday and I could not get over how unselfishly people were donating their time, money, and dry goods to help those in need. I was so taken aback. And to read President DeFleur's words in your newsletter was equally appreciated. Many thanks for what my alma mater is doing and for your letting us know.

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Posted by Jessica R. Cekala '97 (mailto:JRDCekala@optonline.net) on September 14 at 4:31 PM:

Please post my name as being safe from the WTC. I will enter my story at another time. Thank you for creating something like this.

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Posted by Glennis Lynch (mailto:Glennis.Lynch@ppnyc.org) on September 14, 2001 at 5:30 PM:

Thank You

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Posted by Charlotte Cook (mailto:smallwood@wycol.net) on September 14, 2001 at 6:23 PM:

I am overwhelmed with grief. I pray for all the victims and their families. I am extremely proud of and grateful for all of the firefighters, medical personnel, volunteers, and other heroes revealed by this horrific tragedy. I used to stare out at those magnificent towers from my former office on the corner of Fulton and Broadway. I cannot believe what has happened. I am deeply moved by the continuing tales of heroism, consideration and love for others displayed by victims during final moments. Who imagined the human spirit could be so generous and strong in the face of such horror?

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Posted by Karen Simon '77 (mailto:karen@simondoes.com) on September 14, 2001 at 7:20 PM:

Hi, I live about a mile and a half north of the towers. I used to see the skyline view of the towers when I walked out of my building. I live off of the west side highway. Tuesday, I was watching it in the morning on TV when the towers collapsed, I couldn't believe it and went outside to see for myself. At 10:30 am everyone that lived or worked in my neighborhood was on the west side highway in casual clothes looking downtown staring into the sky and the smoke with their mouths open. At the same time, people were passing us, some running, most just walking very fast, many covered in ashes, all escaping the tragedy and walking out of lower Manhattan. It made it very real for me. The highway was shut down with Fire Engines and ambulances travelling at ridiculously high speeds and people running everywhere.

No matter how the rest of the world perceives us, New Yorkers are always at their finest when disaster strikes. People were helping each other in the best ways they could, offering up water, food, places to stay for people who could not get home.

Yesterday, the spot where the towers stood was engulfed in smoke through sunset. Part of me believed that when the smoke cleared, they would reappear, no lives lost, just another media manufactured event. This morning when I woke up I went outside and they were just gone. And another building on fire. Everything below 14th street (where I live) shut down. Extremely surreal for one of the most vibrant cities on the planet. I got in my car with my girlfriend and left the city. I felt too helpless and too scared to stay. I left Manhattan about three hours ago. There was no way to help but give blood. Since I work alone, I found myself unable to really get it together and decided that since my profession in the moment did not feel vital to the fabric of life, I could let it go for the moment. I am staying about 2.5 hours outside of New York. Here the tragedy is perceived much the same way as I'm sure the rest of the country and world sees it, it is terrible, but it is at a distance.

We know of a few people who were in the building, one still not heard from, some near-misses. People in lower Manhattan are in various states of shocks. Many saw it first hand, it looks very different than on TV. The towers are gone. It is the skyline view I used to see from right outside my apartment. It is very bizarre. Not to mention the utter destruction of the surrounding areas.

I am very thankful for my family and friends. I want to live for today. Hope you are all well and getting the most out of today.

I would love to hear from any of you and to hear how this is being presented/perceived around the world. Take gentle care of each other.

With love, Karen Simon

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Posted by Keith LaScalea '94 (mailto:keithlas@hotmail.com) on September 15, 2001 at 1:12 AM:

I'm okay and everyone I know from the financial world is okay. Some even escaped the WTC.

Posted by Keith LaScalea '94 on September 12, 2001 at 11:52 PM:

This message was originally posted by Keith to his friends and family, and is reprinted here with his permission:

Dear family and friends,

First, thank you all for your kind words of support for me, my co-workers, and friends. Here is my story, thus far. I was alerted to the horror of 9/11 by a 911 page to Cornell's ER yesterday by our chief. We were going on high alert and all staff needed to report. I quickly prepared and ran in. Hundreds of MDs, RNs, techs, custodial staff, volunteers, and various support staff worked on setting up stations with IV fluids, central line kits, intubation trays, casting kits, etc. as we expected the worst. Rumors of bombs and various hits filled the air. And then the news, the WTC had been razed. Shock, horror, and fear seized us all. We waited and watched the few TVs about the Urgent Care Center like all Americans.

I was particularly struck when one of the psychiatry attendings, an elderly, well-respected doctor of great stature and composure, known for his amazing insight into people and their problems, came in almost completely distraught in tears asking me how he could help. I cared for a few patients, minor bumps/bruises, some severe burns, and a couple of panic-stricken people who were absolutely shell-shocked by the event. I will never forget Mrs. L, who kept asking why her head hurt so much, not realizing that the left side of her skull had a huge laceration with escaping blood. Luckily, her Head CT was negative and she'll be okay. I was so impressed and proud of my co-workers as everyone worked expediently to triage, treat, and admit appropriately. However, the terror never reached us completely. Sure, there were burns and there were a few deaths to go around, but we were so overstaffed that we each had little to do. So we waited, we worried, and we wondered. Why? And, where are the victims? They were not showing up; was there gridlock getting uptown? Hopeful thought, or was it what we all feared most - trapped victims or instant kill, leaving no one to salvage?

I was sent home to sleep (yeah right!), as I was assigned to work the overnight shift. I went home, called friends, sent out a mass e-mail (like this one) indicating my safety to you all. Luckily, I also tracked down most of my friends here. (Who knew you'd wind up with stories of escaping the WTC, witnessing the explosions in commute to work from the Staten Island Ferry/ the subways/ or on foot, stuck in Turkey, Germany or in South America? Thank God these are the stories you are telling me.) And then I went on a small walk through uptown to see what life was like out in the real world, out of TV. Well, huge trucks rumbling down 2nd Ave with relief cables, the absence of cars (including yellow cabs), weary-eyed New Yorkers, and a smoky plume that filled the air with a viscous pestilence made me wonder what the immediate future of our lives would be.

Back in the ER and the medical wards, an eerie silence persisted. Even our normal sick crowds avoided the ERs. The whole hospital was quieter than I have ever experienced it. We all felt helpless. I wanted to do more. So, today, after 2 hours of recurring plane-into-building nightmares, I woke up and went to near-"Ground Zero". Luckily, scrubs and a stethoscope allow you to get through many cop barricades and into "the war zone". Thousands of military, NYC cops, fire crews and EMTs from all over the tri-state area everywhere; uniforms of all sorts: federal, state, city, suburban forces here; I even saw a Suffolk County cop car. There was word that even some Australian forces were here. I also saw dust and garbage everywhere. Paper from the destroyed offices filled the streets as a poignant reminder of the civilization that stood there yesterday. I was able to find an impromptu medical set-up inside Stuyvesent High School (hard to realize that it was even a h.s.; generators maintained the lights half-dimmed, massive-scale medical supplies, and hundreds of relief workers moving in and out. Tons of food and water was everywhere too, luckily).

I was able to treat firemen and police officers for irritant conjunctivitis, inhalation problems, and blisters on their feet. Their stories continued to send chills down my spine; let me tell you, our normal propagandist media is sparing you many gory details (as will I; I've avoided the morgue sites so far). Then a report came in that there were apartment buildings in the area with senior citizens who had no electricity, phones, water, or elevators, and were suffering heat and horrible air quality issues. I was given a team of nurses, and Green Beiret-like emergency marines to guide. I am not used to the "Yes, sir"s I got from these guys. We entered this completely dark building and went door-to-door knocking and yelling that emergency relief was there. The seniors were so moved to see us. I provided quick medical advice and triaged several down to the lobby for more extensive medical treatment. It became pretty frightening, especially when the American Red Cross commanded a forced evacuation of the building. Why, was this another at-risk building like the slowly collapsing Millenium Building or 1 Liberty Place? Imagine my concern as I pleaded with a woman to leave her cats and come along, or VERY slowly helped 87 year-old arthritic Mr. Jacobs down 39 long flights of stairs in the darkness. Next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance helping another senior woman with sick sinus syndrome and chest pain WITHOUT an EKG or IV equipment! Luckily, she stabilized and we made it to the crazy St. Vincent's without problem (except that I almost fell onto the pt - I never knew how bumpy it is in the back of an ambulance on makeshift roads!).

Once, out of "the hot zone" I decided that my aching back/neck/feet needed rest so that I can help again tomorrow. I hailed a cab and was quickly whisked back to the safety (?!?) of northern Manhattan. And now the news is reporting the possibility of bombs in the Empire State Building and Penn Station..... No Stephen King novel could be this terrifically heinous. May God bless us all.

*******************

'Posted by Thomas Regan '77 (mailto:tregan@stny.rr.com) on September 15, 2001 at 1:19 AM:

I feel as if someone in my family has died. My sister now resides in Queens and luckily for her, she was home when the tragedy occured. Another of my friends is lucky to be alive though. He is a New York City police officer and by a stroke of fate he was off-duty when the tragedy occured. Unfortunately, many members of his precinct are missing or presummed dead. I pray for him, his fellow officers, firemen who are missing in action as well as all the poor souls who have lost there lives in this terrible tragedy, and their families. This is the worst moment in the history of human civilization. My only hope is that the people or person who is responsible for this is caught and made to suffer for a very long time for what they have done.

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Posted by ENF (mailto:Curnel155@aol.com) on September 15, 20001 at 1:40 AM:

Tonight I ventured into Greenwich Village as part of my weekend home. At Washington Square Park, there was a canvas all around with markers for people to leave their thoughts behind. There were candles for those that died, flowers for those remembered and pictures for those still missing. This was all amidst a backdrop of white smoke rising up through the ground towards the emergency lights that are being used for the rescue workers. A scene that used to be decorated by two illuminated one hundred and ten story buildings.

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'Posted by Ginny (Baker) Hekinian '68 (mailto:hekinian@wanadoo.fr) on September 15, 2001 at 2:02 PM:

This message was posted to Rose Bacmanski Frierman, associate director of Alumni and Parent Relations:

Dear Rose and all the staff at B.U,

I haven't yet "logged on" to the latest bulletin, following the Twin Towers disaster in NY. I certainly hope our Binghamton alumni community will not be forced to deal with heavy losses. This has been the longest week since I moved to France more than 30 years ago.

I am touched by all the warm and loving thoughts which have come to me since I am "an American", therefore probably more grieved than the rest of my friends and colleagues here in France; the truth is, we are all grieving, because "no man is an island" and as John Donne said so beautifully 350 or so years ago, "...any man's death is death to me... Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for you."

And we are all frightened about the implications for tomorrow and our world -- will September 11 mark a day of the beginning of a better world, where men and women reach out to help each other and to care more about the other ... Or will this be the pivotal moment in time when we can say: really bad things started happening-- killing, hatred, arms and men and menaces to all humanity... Only time will tell, and only our leaders can decide -- we just have to wait and see, and hope there are some wise persons (or wise counsellors) to help the world's political leaders make wise decisions.

I am personally spared the grief of losing someone in the rubble-- my son and family in NY have been accounted for and are as well as can be expected under these bizarre circumstances. My heart goes out to the victims and their families in NY and Washington, but without forgetting the victims and grieving families of the past 30 or 50 years who lived in Tibet, Tien-Men Square, Algeria, Egypt, in the "occupied territories" in Israel and Lebanon, and without forgetting all the other innocents who are dead in: Afganistan, Armenia, Iraq, Koweit, Sri Lanka, Ruanda, Kosovo, Cambodia, Vietnam, Mexico, Peru, Guatamala, and this list is terribly incomplete, unfortunately.

Let us hope (and pray if it might work) that the world that rises (like a Phoenix) out of the dust and rubble of the Twin Towers will be a place of more justice and equality, Love and Prosperity for all the children and their parents living on the four corners of our round ball - may God bless and help the victims and their families, and may there be goodness and light in the lives of all the Earth's residents everywhere-- in South Africa, Northern Canada, the Far East and Wild West ...

I just wanted to say this to all of you, because one of the side effects of this week and its events is that I have had a lot of email "prayer chains" sent to me, and some of them seemed to be violent and vindictive. It's time for a change, or we will never learn the lesson. The "answer is blowing in the wind" as we sang, way back when we were Binghamton students...

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Posted by Josh Waterston '96 (mailto:jwater@bigfoot.com) on September 15, 2001 at 8:59 AM:

Thank you so much for setting up this message board. I hope you and yours are safe. Here are my comments.

When the planes struck the World Trade Center, I turned on the news and sat there with my mouth hanging open in disbelief for many minutes. I couldn't get my brain around the immense horror of this tragedy. Who had done this? Why? And then I went cold, hoping that my NYC relatives were OK. I called on my cell phone at a little after 9 AM, and all circuits were busy Â– for almost the whole day, as it turned out. On Wednesday, I was able to talk to my relatives, who were safe. I worried about the SUNY-B alumni in the WTC, or on the rescue teams, and I thank g-d for those who escaped, and I hope all of us pray for those who could not escape. I know that next week begins the Jewish new year, and I find it difficult to wish people a sweet new year, in light of all the sadness of last week.

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Posted by Diane L. Castiglione (mailto:CastiglioneDL@state.gov) on September 14, 2001 at 5:08 PM:

This message was posted to Rose Bacmanski Frierman, associate director of Alumni and Parent Relations:

I just wanted to let you know how impressed I am by the outreach the university is doing to the alumni. This has been a horrific week for everyone but it's tempered somewhat when we can maintain our connections with friends, family and even institutions, such as the university. It lets us know that there are still people out there who care. Thank you to everyone at the university for keeping us alumni in your thoughts.

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Posted by Maria Ermogenous '95 (mailto:me_ermogenous@hotmail.com) on September 15, 2001 at 10:39 AM:

This message was posted to Rose Bacmanski Frierman, associate director of Alumni and Parent Relations:

Hi. Luckily I called in sick that horrible morning and am happy to say that all friends and family have been accounted for. However, my building no longer exists - I worked on the 36th floor of WTC 7. I'm just happy to be here. My thoughts and prayers to all those you may have lost someone or are still searching. Also safe is Sven Willkehr '94, MBA '95, who worked in the World Financial Center next to the twins. God bless - Maria

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Posted by Toni Goldschmidt Greenberg '77 (mailto:tonianddavid@home.com) on September 15, 2001 at 2:27 PM:

Patricia Jackson, my SUNY-B roommate and a 1978 graduate, works for Deloitte Touche at 2 Financial Center and is okay. Her office is across the street from the Twin Towers. I was worried about her and finally got through to her husband Friday night.

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Posted by Lee Perlman '80 (mailto:DoITT@OEM.NYC.GOV) on September 16, 2001 at 6:01 PM:

I want to let everyone know that my wife, Linda S. Riefberg '81, safely evacuated from the 28th Floor of Building 2. Linda and the rest of her colleagues from the enforcement division of the New York Stock Exchange, are all safe. Our prayers are with the families and friends of missing BU alumni.

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Posted by Joanna M. Bulzomi '97 (mailto:boots97@optonline.net) on September 16 at 1:04 AM:

I am praying for Marina Gertsberg '97, and for the many who have lost their lives to protect and serve America. My thoughts and prayers are with those missing. This truly is the darkest day in our history. I am looking for any past members of Phi Sigma Sigma or the Harpur Harpeggios. Please let us know if you are okay. God Bless America.

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Posted by Tina Prout '98 (mailto:SmilinTina@aol.com) on September 16 at 1:26 AM:

Please pray for Paul Battaglia '00. He is still unaccounted for. For information on Paul, you can go to: http://www.pipedreamonline.com ; or http://www.pauljbattaglia.com God Bless.

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Posted by Jon Aaronson '64, (mailto:adltgrth@chorus.net) on September 16, 2001 at 3:47 PM:

I know no words that are more eloquent or to the heart of the matter than those of my former spouse and friend, Lorna Aaronson of Madison, Wisconsin:

In the light of these events I feel compelled to suggest that everyone I know make our voices heard by our president and elected officials. To find and contact your elected officials, go to http://capwiz.com/rollcall/home/

There will be much pressure in the days and weeks ahead to react out of anger and vengance. My own letter urged our leaders to remain on a moral path based on justice and law, and built on a fundamental respect for human rights and civil liberties for all, including innocent civilians both within our own borders and especially in Afghanistan and other Middle East countries. This is what our democracy must stand for.

Retaliation begets retaliation, and the cycle continues. Ghandi said "An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind." I pray that my my government will resist the urge to act unilaterally, and that we will listen to the wisdom of other governments with whom we seek coalition. We can't stand alone, because if we do, we will fail. Our actions will, in ways we can't possibly imagine, affect people around the world. We must act not only in the interest of our nation but of all nations.

History ignored is destined to repeat itself. I have great fear that we, as individuals and as a nation, will forget the lessons of the past. This came home to me most clearly in a gathering that took place at church after a vigil Wednesday evening after Tuesday's acts of unspeakable terrorism. Many people had been glued to their televisions, and a few had just seen images of people in a Middle Eastern country dancing joyously in the streets. They were expressing their dismay that there could be any expression of victory in this tragedy, and one man put it into context for us. He said, "I was in the Phillipines when the United States dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. When we heard the news, we danced in the streets. So when I see those images, I don't see Arabs. I see myself."

With a future uncertain, and with this week's tragic events occupying such a large part of our thoughts and energies, what can we do? If we dwell in the past or fear the future, we become paralyzed. I think it is important to do what you can do now, for example: Give money to the Red Cross, or to your local vehicle to the NYFD. Give blood when its needed. Turn off the television and be with your friends and family. Seek ways, however small, to give meaning to what is happening and to make a difference. Find your "rock"--a place in your heart and your soul and your community where you can feel safe and be quiet and listen to the voice within that guides you to calm and reasoned thought. Write letters. Send thoughts and preayers of thanks and strenth for those hundreds of people in New York and Washington who are working day and night to help victims and their families. Actively resist (in yourself and in your community) the accusations and racial profiling that has already started in this country against innocent Americans and visitors of Middle eastern descent.

These are my thoughts. You may or may not agree. Whatever you believe, I hope that you will make your voice heard.

Wishing us all wisdom, and wishing us all peace.

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Posted by Jon Acquafredda '95 (mailto:acqua0926@aol.com) on September 16, 2001 at 4: 13 PM:

I regret to pass along that Michael Horn '95 is missing in the WTC attack. He works at Cantor Fitzgerald. Mike is a great guy who always has a smile on his face. I met Mike just last week in NYC for drinks and that's all we did was laugh. Besides college, we were also high school classmates and we are keeping the faith that he is OK. Mike is originally from Lynbrook, Long Island. Please pray for his safe return.

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Posted by Hope M. Pecullan (mailto:HMPecullan@bingham.com) on September 16, 2001 at 4:31 PM:

Scott Pecullan '96 who works for Morgan Stanley on the 64th floor of the second tower got out safely.

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Posted by Danielle Amaturo '97 on September 16, 2001 at 9:13 PM: My prayers go out to Marina Gertsberg '97 and her family. To all those who have loved ones still missing do not give up hope. I am so proud to be an American, and I thank all those who are risking their lives to help clean up the WTC, and God willing they will pull out surviors.

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Posted by Elizabeth St. James on September 17 at 2:30 AM:

I will never forget standing on the corner of Lafayette and West 4th street watching smoke pour out of the WTC right after the first plane hit, while a young man walked by with tears streaking down his face talking on his phone. "That is my building,”," he said. Seeing the whole thing firsthand, although from a distance, was horrific, and the only comfort I can take from this situation is the amount of love and support people in this city and across the country have been giving to one another. Thank you for creating this site so that we can share with one another what we have and will continue to experience.

I am concerned for the victims of hate crimes and racial profiling that have started to surface, as a result of media images from the middle east and general ignorance and hatred. Violence, especially directed towards other American citizens, will not stop terrorism. In fact, this type of ignorance and inability to learn about and/or accept others breeds more violence. I currently have friends with Middle Eastern heritage, who are American citizens that have been approached and harassed on the street just because of their skin color and appearance. I hope parents will send the message to their children as well as to one another that this type of violence and hatred is wrong.

I do think that whoever is responsible should be punished but killing more innocent people in the form of "collateral damage" will not make that punishment just. Many citizens in the countries that support terrorism live their lives under the control of decision makers and powerful people with whom they do not share the same sentiment of hate and violence. I am hoping that leadership as well as citizens of this country will react to this horrible tragedy with a clear message that we will not tolerate this type of behavior, and that we will make that decision and send that message in a just and civil way, with the support of other nations of the world, In this time of tragedy, I am sending my prayers and love to everyone affected by this disaster. We will survive this.

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Posted by Fazle Quayum MBA '82 (mailto:fquayum@hotmail.com) on September 17, 2001 at 8:37 AM:

I am Fazle Quayum from Bangladesh. I studied at Binghamton from Sep 1980 to June 1982 and got my MBA degree. As I sit in front of my PC ten thousand miles away, I remember my good friends Kathi Bender, Connie Galatis, Barbara Boland, Janice Mckee, Bernie d'Aversa, Stevem Harwood and a host of wonderful people who made my two years at Binghamton the most memorable of my life. I sincerely hope that none of my friends and their families have been affected by the unspeakable tragedy.

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Posted by Avi Schwartz '95 (mailto:avi.schwartz@us.pwcglobal.com) on September 17, 2001 at 9:37 AM:

Hi. I think the web site is great. But, there may have been miscommunication on my part. While I am OK, I am not by any means a "survivor". I regularly work out of town and am only downtown about once per month, if that, on a client located on a low floor at the WTC. My main intent was to communicate the bad news about Andrew Zucker and Andrew Rosenblum, and that is it. I think it would be appropriate to remove any reference to me in your lists. Thanks. By the way, Andrew Rosenblum was a member of my father's synagogue. About 1,200 people attended a memorial service held for Andrew yesterday morning in Temple Bna'i Shalom in Rockville Centre, New York. thanks again. Avi

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Posted by Kellie Duff (mailto:klduff@binghamton.edu) on September 17, 2001 at 9:56 AM:

Alessandro DeLuca '99 - Goldman Sachs was one block away from WTC when it was hit - ok Malcolm Brown '00 - ok

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Posted by Keith Gurnett (mailto:Keith@SWNY.com) on September 17, 2001 at 11:02 AM:

If anyone hears about any SOM Alumni from the graduating class of May 2001 could they please contact me via email. I am a graduate from that class in SOM and working in Buffalo and hoping and praying all my fellow graduates are safe. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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Posted by Matt Biscuiti '98 (mailto:biscuit@eudoramail.com) on September 17, 2001 at 10:22 AM:

Hi - I didn't realize that my one-line email would be classified as a "story" to be posted, but yes, indeed, if you keep up with www.whrwfm.org, they are doing an excellent job online and on the air (90.5 in Binghamton) giving updates on all that's going on with any missing station alum...

It's truly been sad, and a time for all of us to get together. I think we're basically doing that.... I personally have a lot of thoughts and feelings on this, but will leave you with this for now.... a good friend of mine, Chris Ganci -- who went to Binghamton from 1994-1996 -- lost his father that day. Peter Ganci, Jr., Chief of the NYC Fire Department, died a hero, saving others -- just the way he was trained to, and going with what his heart told him he needed to do. Chris has been incredibly strong, but if any of you that know him want to get in touch, email me, and I will be happy to pass along your thoughts. Take a look at www.newsday.com for an excellent tribute to this man, and please say a prayer for him and all of the firefighers, police, EMS workers and anyone else that's died helping others, and continue to be hard at work at the site of this horrible tragedy.

God bless.

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Posted by Geertruid van Wassenaer (mailto:vanwassenaer@beeradvocaten.nl) on September 17, 2001 at 4:00 AM:

Thank you for your message, I am an alumni who only attended Binghamton for one year. (1980). It was the most wonderful experience in my life to be part of your culture. I have made friends for life with whom I continued to communicate untill this day. Thank god they are safe, although one of them worked in the WTC.

I returned to the Netherlands in 1981 and completed my law study here. For 15 years I have worked in the Netherlands as an attorney on behalf of victims with personal injury claims. My office is handling claims of the people who lived in the Bijlmer where an El Al Boeing 747 crashed on top of a large appartment building. The images we've seen the last couple day, the devastation, the destruction, the uncertainty of people left behind, the brave work of firemen, all seem very familiar to us. However, what we experienced here was a tragic accident, wheras what happened in your country was carefully prepared and intended by people with no heart, no compassion, and no respect.

I want you to know that everyone in the Netherlands is grieving with the victims, their families and friends and with everybody else in your country, whose feelings of safety and confidence have been shattered by this terrible and inhuman act of terrorism. The world will never be the same!

With deep respect, sincerely, Geertruid van Wassenaer

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Posted by Ralph Mendoza '96 (mailto:mendoazralph@hotmail.com) on September 15, 2001 at 6:30 PM:

I am okay. So are friends and family.

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Posted by Matt Telfer '78 (mailto:matthew.telfer@gte.net) on September 15 at 12:40 PM:

As I watched the World Trade Center start to fall, my first thoughts were for the Binghamton Alumni working there. Take care and keep us posted.

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Posted by Lucas Thilogene '99 (mailto:mta2000@nyc.rr.com) on September 15, 2001 at 12:54 PM:

As an alumnus and currently a mechanical engineer working for the MTA office located at 2 Broadway in downtown Manhattan I for the first time had to run to save my life when the first Tower collapsed. I hope and pray that the 300 alumni from Binghamton University are safe and with their loved ones. Take care and keep in touch.

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Posted by Bea Lurie '81(mailto:reducecrime@earthlink.net) on September 14 at 9:32 PM:

As a New York City resident and an alumni, it makes me proud to know that my university has joined to support our city and those who have lost loved ones. My family has been fortunate to suffer no such losses but I wanted to do something that would help my children, 5 and 10, lend support. The projects they have been working on have now spread across the country through the wonderful medium of email (and the telephone.)

I've attached below the email that I've been sending to describe the projects.

Following the brutal terrorist attacks, I wanted to find a way for my kids who attend P.S. 99 and IS 30 in Brooklyn to make a difference. As a result, my kids -- and now kids across the country -- are making get well cards for the victims in the hospitals. On September 12, I began calling and emailing friends and family who had children in schools -- both public and private Â– in New York City and across the country to write/draw get well cards. The idea has spread like wildfire and students from the elementary school through college level have either been participating or will be participating. The cards should be sent to St. Vincent's Hospital, 7th Avenue and West 11 Street, New York, New York and to Bellevue Hospital, 1st Avenue and East 27th Street, New York, New York.

On September 13, I began to spread another idea in the same manner that was the result of my son, Seth's, community service work at P.S. 217 last year. His service learning group was one of the groups invited to attend an event at Windows on the World that left an indelible impression on him. The celebration was a recognition luncheon for the students who had helped count the pennies for Penny Harvest, a wonderful charity that raises millions of dollars in New York City schools each year by asking students to donate pennies. If every child -- and educator -- in schools, day care centers etc. all over the country contributed a penny, we could raise a lot of money for the families of the victims. Donations could be sent to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army -- or whatever other charities participants want to aid. It would be great if religious institutions could be contacted to participate.

If you need information about other charities or need more info about the ideas in this email, I can be contacted at reducecrime @earthlink.net. Let me know if you decide to participate.

Thanks for your help. Bea Lurie

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Posted by Matt Biscuiti (mailto:biscuiti@eudoramail.com) on September 17, 2001 at 10:28 AM:

Two other alumni that are safe: Shwetha Shenoy '97 Pamela Reyes '98

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Posted by Eric Cohen '73 (mailto:Cohen.Eric@epamail.epa.gov) on September 17, 2001 at 10:11 AM:

In chicago, a city not known for its love of new york, there has been an outpouring of emotion as we all unite against these terrible acts of terror. i hope that at harpur the events of tuesday will become a subject for serious study and that the campus remains free of any acts of discrimination against middle eastern people or those who believe in the islamic faith.

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Posted by Keith LaScalea '94 [mailto:keithlas@hotmail.com] on September 15, 2001 at 2:55 PM:

Hi again, everybody- A quick update in the goings-on here in NYC: On Thursday, I went back to the site of the WTC tragedy to help. This time I got up close to the wreckage - right beside the former WTC 1, 2, 7 and all the various unstable buildings in the area. The area is almost completely decimated! Even the buildings not directly hit have suffered major damage: broken windows, melted walls, dust & ash covering everything. The ground is covered with piles of white soot inches high, like a nuclear snowstorm. There is paper everywhere from downtown Manhattan to the harbor (I hear all the way to Brooklyn). I picked up a few to read them -mostly mundane business papers, but a reminder of the people and civilization that existed just days before. And the collapsed towers themselves are frightful. It's hard to imagine the scope of how large the destruction is. TV only gives a glimpse. I'm amazed at the bravery of the firefighters and police who are actually climbing into the very unstable rubble.

Firetrucks from all over the state, including Centereach, Smithtown, and Selden. I also spoke with volunteers who drove in from Cleveland, Michigan (a search-and-rescue couple came with their two trained German shepherds), and Florida. Hundreds of EMTs, docs, nurses, and other helpers all there. Everyone wanted to help somehow. In fact, there were about 500 Christian Science ministers in bright yellow T-shirts giving massages to workers. They would not take "no" for an answer. There was a Greek Orthodox priest in full regalia giving counseling. Red Cross, Salvation Army, and religious volunteers were ubiquitous. The helping got a little out of hand, however. I had one army general guide a group of us doctors right through 3 World Financial Center to a very dangerous area where even the firefighters were absent. Despite the hardhat, the gasmask, the gloves and white suit, we felt in danger and turned around because there was no one to aid.

Later in the day at another scary area someone cried out "She's gonna fall" and everyone went stampeding away from the tenuous skyscraper. My friend, Kristie, and I thought it was all over, but luckily the building was fine. We backed up! There was one trauma surgeon who asked us to help him move supplies to another triage station. We set up at the base of 1 Liberty Place (the building everyone feared would fall) and I was so close to the cranes I could have reached out and touched them. I advised this was unsafe and unwise given that there were other triage stations 1-2 blocks away. I am glad that the Feds have taken over all of this now. They have a bit more structure and authority to do this sort of work. This will hopefully minimize the number of citizens who hurt themselves in the process of trying to help.

I was able to help by passing out analgesics, performing eye washes, and talking to the rescuers. Unfortunately, however, there still are no victims to save.

On Thursday night, I walked east away from the scene to the Wall Street area. Who knew NYC could be so dark and quiet. The streets were empty and I heard crickets chirping in NYC(!) about 1/2 mile away from the devastation area. You cannot imagine how different it is to walk below 100-story buildings now, never knowing how stable their bases are (though, the structural engineers are giving many of these places the okay).

Friday was quieter for me. I was sent away nicely by the appreciative Fed forces and spent the rest of the day at New York Hospital. Our hospital only got about 80 victims, many in the burn unit. I went to dinner with some of the surgeons who'd been on-duty for days in this unit. They are working hard and long to help keep these people alive, but they said there may be more deaths.

I spent last evening looking at a birthday gift that I bought my friend, Brian, about three weeks ago at the World Trade Center: a book of NY skyscrapers. Together, a group of us mourned the victims, including the beautiful buildings and destroyed skyline.

But, life goes on now, and many of us here are getting back to the normal NY pace. In fact, while I was driving back in a taxi yesterday, it was refreshing to see my cabbie get into a large fight with another obnoxious cabbie trying to cut him off.

Stay strong and be safe, my friends.

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Posted by Glennis Lynch '89 (mailto:Glennis.Lynch@ppnyc.org) on September 17, 2001 at 5:27 PM:

I was enroute to work after dropping off my girls at school. I realized that people on the bus were conversing. I thought something terrible must have happened since the last time I saw strangers conversing in such a manner was after the Susan Smith incident. After getting of the bus I saw people looking towards the sky. I coudn't see the WTC but I could see the orange sparks in the sky from downtown Brooklyn. It was then that I heard the airplane crashed into the WTC. At that point I thought perhaps it was a small plane that had lost control. Oddly, I arrived at work 45 minutes earlier that usual. I along with a few of my co-workers watched TV to get a full picture of what had happened. We watched sadly as the first building collapsed. We went onto the room of the building to see firsthand the 2nd building on fire and to take pictures. After returning to the floor I was horrified to find out that the second WTC building had also collapsed.

People were everywhere and walking in every direction possible near Broadway and Houston. I along with thousands of people, young as well as old, walked in the shadow of the black dust across the Manhattan bridge to Brooklyn. I saw people with white chalk dust all over their bodies and cloths.

Although there were thousands of people walking over the bridge there weren't too many conversations occuring. I'll probable remember most the blank expression on the faces of the people that I saw. It occurred to me that if the City was being attacked that the Manhattan bridge is an open target. However the desire to see my girls far exceeded any fear or exposure to harm or danger.

Sept. 11, 2001 started off as a warm, bright and beautiful day. I [will] never forget how it ended!

My prayers go out to family, friends and loved ones of individuals who are yet to be found in the rubble. I also ask for God's strength and blessings for all those involved in the rescue effort. May God bless the United States of America in this trying time. Thank You. Glennis Lynch

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Posted by Patricia Reynolds '92 (mailto:preynolds@binghamton.edu) on Monday, September 17, 2001 5:20 PM:

This message was posted to Rose Bacmanski Frierman, associate director of Alumni and Parent Relations:

Hi, Rose -- I just wanted to let you know -- both as a colleague and as an alum -- how touched I am by the job you and everyone involved are doing with the alumni newsletter and website, covering this horrific, sad series of events in NYC and DC. What a comfort it is to read the stories of the survivors, and I appreciate learning the names of those we need to keep in our prayers. It has been difficult to be here at home during the past few days, feeling a bit isolated and helpless. This has helped me continue to feel connected, and I am grateful.

God bless us all, and God bless America. Pat

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Posted by Jennifer (Jennah) Bender '96 (mailto:jennahb@hotmail.com) on September 17, 2001 at 7:50 PM:

I was teaching my 8th graders when the news came from the P.A. system. There were 10 minutes left of class. We turned on the tv. The first image was of the tower in smoke. The second showed a plane deliberately striking the other tower. The day is surreal in memory -- lunch in the faculty room full of updates and reassurances from children and family members who live nearby that they are ok.

Our school is only 2 hours north of Manhattan; many students and teachers have family in the towers. There was a general sense that we teachers shared of keeping it together while reassuring students who feared attacks here and the horror of what they were seeing/imagining of NYC.

When I got home, it hit me. I was able to let my guard down and react with sobs and quiet. Seeing images on tv really brought it all home: one minute here, the next, a pile of ash.

I searched through my poetry collection late that night to find poems for my students the next morning. We spent a large part of class reading and responding to the poems, then connecting them to the tragedy. It was productive and meaningful work. I called the lesson "Poetry as Healer"; students began to see the door poems can open and lead you through. Most of all, they realized that those who have lived before (and written about it!) have messages for us: hope, perserverance, and the comfort of the shared human experience. The poems are: "Madness and a bit of hope" by Safia Henderson Holmes and "Life at War" by Denise Levertov. I offer my prayers for peace and hope to all.

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Posted by Jill Abramovitz (mailto:Jillanyc@aol.com) on September 17, 2001 at 11:16 PM:

Hello. Anyone with information regarding Joe Ceriello '94, please contact Jill Abramovitz, 212-252-4257 or jillanyc@aol.com. Thank you.

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Posted by Eric Morton, MA '98, PhD '00 (mailto:be83464@binghamton.edu), on September 18, 2001 at 4:59 AM:

I am horrified by the fact that this act of terror propels us towards a dangerous precipice. This is a moment that requires the leadership of wise and cool headed thinkers. Instead, what we are getting are the jingoistic posturings of those who too quick to "Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war." Eric Morton, alumnus and grad student currently in GA

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Posted by Patricia Sweet (mailto:psweet@binghamton.edu), secretary to the chairman and graduate program for the economics department, on September 17, 2001 at 3:47 PM:

We have heard from Alev Suer '98 and Marcello Pak '93. Both are economics alumni and worked in buildings across from WTC. Both are fine.

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Posted by Michelle C. Berry '88 (mailto:MCBERRYFEB@aol.com) on September 18, 2001 at 10:42 AM:

My heart knows more grief than I thought it possible to hold. I work on a college campus, and last Tuesday, it was amazingly difficult to watch so many people trying to call home and not get through. I thought then of my two alma maters--BU and Cornell, and all those affected throughout the nation and world. I then realized the enormity of this tragedy--it's staggering. I have friends who have lost friends and loved ones. And I am here in upstate NY, thinking of my birthplace, NYC, and I am sending prayers and peace to all of our BU alumni who have been affected in one way or another. Events such as these have a way of triggering grief from past events--so please, take advantage of counseling services and seek out safe space as we all go through this tragedy united. In solidarity, Michelle C. Berry

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Posted by Roberto de la Fuente '98 (mailto:delafuen@binghamton.edu) on September 18, 2001 at 11:04 AM:

My heart aches for all of the people, across the globe, touched by this tragedy. As a native New Yorker working in Binghamton I feel outrage, despair, and some guilt-ridden relief at being so far away from my hometown and many loved ones. My immediate friends and family are alright. I hope it stays that way. I pray for peace and greater understanding in this world. I am proud of Binghamton University's efforts to unify its extended family of alumni, faculty and staff. God bless America and us all.

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Posted by Andrew Ghezzi '93 (mailto:aghezzi@etrade.com) on September 18, 2001 at 12:51 PM:

I'd like to report that both myself, Andrew Ghezzi '93, and Pam Nadler '93 are safe and sound. Thankfully I was not in my office at 1 Liberty Plaza when the attack took place. As for Pam, she also worked in 1 Liberty Plaza and lived down the block at Parc Place. She was right down the street from "ground zero" when it all started happening. She managed to grab her dog and literally run for her life away from the area. No shoes, no ID, no wallet and no money, she hopped on the Ferry and made her way over to my place in Hoboken NJ. Since then, its been constant phone calls from my couch to piece her life back together again---establishing her identity is the hardest part.

Her management company has "no idea" when she'll be able to access her apartment--could be months? Reports of looting in her building continue to torment her, but she still remains calm, glad that her dog is alive and still finds the time to crack a joke every now and then.

My thoughts and prayers to any other alumni who may still be unaccounted for.

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Posted by Eileen Meehan '91 (mailto:meehane@towers.com) on September 18, 2001 at 2:11 PM:

I just wanted to let you know that I think Binghamton has done an outstanding job in providing a connection for alumni during this horrible tragedy. Your site is fantastic, and a great conduit for sharing experiences and sorrow, and moving on together to live our lives to the fullest. I thank you and your staff for the endless hard work and dedication to provide such a meaningful service.

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Posted by Chris Winter '88 (mailto:MAILER-DAEMON@shaker.exelixis.com) on September 18, 2001 at 5:24 PM: My brother, John Winter '88, is okay. He works for Merrill Lynch, which was located in the World Financial Center across the street from the WTC. For all those suffering in the wake of this malicious tragedy, please know that we mourn with you.

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Posted by Jose Aquino (mailto:JVAQ417@aol.com), parent of a BU junior student, on September 19, 2001 at 7:51 AM:

I have been reading your alumni postings re: WTC attacks. Just want to say that we're indeed praying for Michael Horn '95, specially since he probably lives near our place in Queens, NY. And yes, Jon Aronson '64, I'm in accord with every thought you expressed regarding the WTC attacks and the Hiroshima & Nagasaki atom bomb drops in '45, which I distinctly remember as a 16-year old in Manila. Surely agree with those thoughts. We're specially pleased to have our daughter choose to study for college in BU, given all the students and alumni there. Great company to live with. Meanwhile we are praying for all the alumni in the WTC and Pentagon attacks and their families, missing, surviving and caring. Keep up the great spirit. Jose 74.

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Posted by Peter Price '90 (mailto:PPKNICKFAN@aol.com) on September 16 at 10:34 PM:

On Saturday I saw my family for the first time since September 11th. I had a chance to reflect on the tragedy and discuss the varying perspectives with my cousins, four of whom were in the vicinity at the time (see Larry Price '86).

Here is my story. I grew up in Staten Island and took the ferry to work during my college breaks (summers and winters from 1987 to 1990). The grandeur of the twin towers made me proud to be a New Yorker and excited to work on the 96th floor of 1 WTC back then. Eleven years have passed, yet in many ways I still feel very connected to them. On a picture perfect Tuesday morning I was at a client's office on 40 Fulton Street (5 blocks east of the WTC). As my meeting was wrapping up a loud boom shook the building. I heard a woman scream that the tower was on fire. We ran to the window and watched in horror at the tragedy unfolding. No one knew what had happened as everyone scurried to their TV's. It wasn't until we witnessed the second explosion that we decided to evacuate. After taking a head count and running down 24 flights in an orderly manner, we assembled at the front of the building. We decided unanimously to head away from the skyscrapers and straight for the seaport. A large but surprisingly calm crowd on the pier was staring up frozen in utter shock. Suddenly the boardwalk began to rumble and huge plumes of ash seem to come from every direction. We sought refuge in an air-conditioned mall on the pier as fighter jets flew overhead and darkness surrounded us. Two hours passed as teams broke up to purchase bottled water, search for telephones (as our cell phones were knocked out) and look for ATM machines. Eventually a store clerk offered us the use of their phones until we heard a rumor of a gas leak -- we evacuated again. Luckily, the skies had cleared and we were able to see across to Brooklyn again. We headed north amongst the masses in zombie like fashion, all of us eventually reaching our destinations. We have all been exposed to a tremendous amount of media coverage that still makes it seem all too unreal. Even for someone who was there it still seems like a bad dream from which I beg to wake up.

Today, Sunday, I went to Union Square to see the faces of the missing people....the ones we keep talking about in statistical terms. On the same footpath I had taken that fateful Tuesday, I now see missing person photos and phone numbers plastered on every wall, lamppost, mailbox and bus stop. Yet amidst all of the mourning there were children playing. I am physically unscathed as are my family, friends, coworkers and clients. I am truly grateful for that, yet I still miss my beloved twin towers and all that they represented. It may sound shallow, but I can't help but stare from my NJ apartment terrace wishing I could see them again. Then I [would] know that that was just a bad dream.

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Posted by Kathie Cheng '93 (mailto:CFCDarthGrael@aol.com) on September 19, 2001 at 2:13 AM:

Hey, everyone - I spent the morning and afternoon with one ear to the radio (I don't have any TV reception) and the other to the phone desperately trying to reach everyone I could remember who lived and/or worked downtown. People were trying to get through to me, too, since I teach at Pace (which apparently is finally opening up tomorrow). Up in East Harlem it's like nothing happened, so not having been traumatized by all the visuals via television and stepping outside late afternoon to sunshine and birds chirping and kids playing on the street, it was quite surreal for me. Anyhow, just about everyone I had tried to reach has been accounted for - many completely shaken up, but alive. I realize it's still a very emotional time filled with anger, fear, and sadness, but I hope that despite the lack of justification for so heinous an act and despite the steady stream of media bombardment, that everyone does question WHY it would happen. I also hope that everyone remembers not to equate "terrorist" with "race" or "ethnicity" or "religion." "Never Again Anywhere" P.S. - Michael Marks '92 made it safely through the day as well.

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Posted by Joann Williams (mailto:jwms1@massed.net) on September 19, 2001 at 3:02 PM:

I give my blessings to all who have been helping in the effort to clean up what has been wrecked!!

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Posted by Josh Gitlitz '96 (joshgitlitz@hotmail.com) on 9/18/2001 at 08:16 PM:

Quick note -- finally back to Long Island from Peru. Surreal being there for all this chaos. Found out about this on Tuesday from one of Colin Powell's staffers. He was staying at my hotel for the OAS meeting down in Lima and after joking about having too many pisco sours with a staffer at breakfast, her cell phone starting ringing with initial reports. Raced up to my room to turn on the TV and I couldn't believe it. It was a like a bad movie. While everyone in Lima was listening to the news, one of the toughest aspects of being so far away is that it was business as usual pretty much and we had a project to work on. Instead of pouting the whole weekend, we went up to Machu Picchu this past weekend. A place that beautiful against the backdrop of the madness going on here is inconceivable. I dunno... Maybe it was just a dream...

Those closest to me are okay physically, thank God, but mentally people are wasted and beyond that circle -- well, you've seen the same TV I've seen. One of my best friends growing up and from Bing, Mike, was good friends with Andrew Zucker, an alumnus missing and assumed... I saw Andrew's wife on CNN holding up Andrew's picture while in Lima and called Mike so fast from the room that I don't even remember dialing... Anyway, I'm withdrawing into the mode that protected me when I was living in Israel. Life has certainly changed here, but it will go on. Who knows -- if we can somehow extract a silver lining from all this, it is that all this madness will make us a stronger and closer society. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Mike Adler in Washington, DC is fine.

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Posted by Patricia Reynolds '92 (preynolds@binghamton.edu) on September 18, 2001 at 9:45 AM:

Barbara's story . . . and Steve's . . . were remarkable. All the stories I have been reading or seeing on TV are sometimes overwhelming. . . . I sometimes handle things like this by writing. And I have written a poem to try and express how I am feeling these days. I'll keep praying for our missing alums . . . and all the others missing, too.

America Will Heal
by Patricia L. Reynolds '92 September 2001

After the shock and the horror fade,
After the rubble is cleared away,
After the injured begin to recover,
After the world has joined us to pray,
After the images fade from our minds,
After the clouds of smoke disappear,
After the cries of the families subside,
After our faith overcomes our fear,
After we start to regain our strength,
After our senses no longer reel,
After we find and face our enemy,
Make no mistake ... America will heal.

It may not happen any time soon.
It may take months instead of days.
It may require courage for weeks to come.
It may be a while before anyone plays.
It may mean struggling to keep on going.
It may mean smiling through our tears.
It may be the hardest thing we've ever done.
It may mean conquering hidden fears.
It may mean hiding all of our pain.
It may be some time before we start to feel.
It may be that numbness will still overtake us.
But make no mistake ... America will heal.

If they thought our spirit would easily break,
If they thought our nation would crumble and fall,
If they thought we had no inner strength,
If they thought we had no courage at all,
If they thought for a minute we would surrender,
If they dared to think that we might give in,
If they thought somehow this was the answer,
If they were foolish enough to hope to win,
If they thought our freedom was unimportant,
If they thought our beliefs were less than real,
If they thought they could mortally wound us,
They were mistaken ... America will heal.

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Posted by Roberto de la Fuente Õ98 (delafuen@binghamton.edu) on September 20, 2001 at 1:31 PM:

I'm a 1999 graduate now working for Harpur. Some of my friends, also alumni, have been affected by this horrible tragedy. I'm from Queens originally and very lucky that everyone I know is alive and well. Two folks I can think of are: 1. Steve Bacci 2000 and his younger brother Joe, who is still attending BU. Their father is a NYC firefighter who lost most of his company in the tragedy. 2. Lisa Forgione 2000, whose aunt is missing. If there is anything I can do to help please let me know. I think it's great that my alma mater is doing all it can.

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Posted by Neil Plotnick '84 (Neil@NeilPlotnick.com) on September 20, 2001 at 3:21 PM:

I live in the heart of downtown Boston and my living room windows directly face Logan Airport on the other side of the harbor. It was the strangest feeling NOT seeing any aircraft going into or out of the place for several days. Out on the streets at about 2:00 PM on Tuesday the 11th the whine of a aircraft was heard overhead. People on the street looked up and others rushed to their balconies. We could see Airforce F-15s circling on patrol. Directly across the street is a Mass. State office building. Now there are police cars parked outside every night. Bomb scares keep getting reported on a lot of Boston's biggest office buildings. Life here has really changed...

Since the tragedy, I have been in contact with many friends and family that were affected. I grew up in the Bronx and my only trip to the top of the WTC was during my senior year in High School, 1979. It was eerie to look at the pictures I had from 20+ years ago. Of course many of my Boston friends wanted to know if there was anyone I knew who was missing. Sadly, a neighbor of my brother, cousin of a close friend and several others are gone now. 6 degrees of separation has shrunk to 1 or 2 degrees. There may be people from PS 96, JHS 135 or Valhalla HS among those wounded or killed.

I hope that the spirit of peace can be found soon.

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Posted by Bernice Reinharth '69, Ph.D. (breinharth@hotmail.com) on September 22, 2001 at 1:36 PM:
This message was originally posted to Rose Bacmanski Frierman, associate director of Alumni and Parent Relations:

I would like to be available to alums, especially here on Long Island, who would like to chat about the recent events. I worked at I World Trade (85th) and II WTC (28th) for almost 3 years in its infancy --1975-78. As a licensed psychologist, I hope I can be useful to my fellow alums in this way or in any other way you can arrange.

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Posted by Valerie Siniremera '93 [mailto: rtfp@cbinf.com] on September 24, 2001 at 8:59 AM:

Valerie is from Burundi and posted this message from Bujumbura, the country's main city.

She writes that she works for a Private Sector Development Project in the Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism. I just got to my office after some days out of my country. I did not check my mail, that is why I did not reply to your mail. In fact when I heard the somber news about the tragedy of September 11th, I was very shocked. I thought about the impact of the tragedy on New York City and all surroundings. Since I got the chance to belong to the Binghamton family, there is no doubt that I am still attached to the State of New York in particular and to America in general. Tragedy wherever it happens might be the concern of every human being and this can be one of the ways to fight it. I keep following the evolution of the situation and I wish all Binghamton alumni and Americans to be very strong in this situation.

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Posted by Michael Gordon '63 [mngordo@optonline.net] on September 27, 2001 at 1:28 AM:

The tragedy at the WTC and the Pentagon on 9/11/01 will impact the world in many ways and on many levels. There is a lot at stake, including our way of life.

My first reaction after watching the towers crumble one after the other was horror which quickly turned to anger. Whoever did this needed to be punished severely and immediately. It turns out of course that it has taken our country some time to determine who was responsible since it appears not to have been an individual nation.

As the days passed and search and rescue continued, our government's justifiably angry rhetoric tempered down. Presumably wiser, more rational, clearer thinking heads seem to have prevailed. Today (September 26) it seems that our nation will not strike out in blind, irrational rage and will not cause the deaths of the guilty and the innocent who share the same space. We can be proud that we are doing the "right thing" morally. But are we doing the right thing strategically? We are concerned with how the world might perceive an American attack that brings death to thousands of innocents and possibly some of the guilty. We take pains to avoid being perceived as who we really are, the strongest nation on earth.

In a totally controlled and surgical response, which appears to be what we planning today, we will hear the applause of the world's nations and of the terrorists as well. Once again America will have demonstrated that our embassies overseas can be destroyed, our military personnel can be attacked and killed at will (USS COLE), and indeed American citizens can be annihilated in their workplaces on American soil, but America's response will be tempered and rational. The fact that America lost more souls in a couple of hours on September 11 than it did during any single day of the Korean and Vietnam wars, (and maybe even WW II), seems to have little impact.

In the short term, by America choosing the "high" road, we gain a moral victory. But we are sending a message to the terrorists that though we are strong, we are the proverbial "paper tiger". I have great concern that this rational response sparing the lives of the innocent, will cause additional, and perhaps worse carnage than what we just experienced. We have the right to be angry, to be a little irrational, and to retaliate. Those who attacked us, as anonymous as they are, by their actions, sent us a very loud and clear message. Our response needs to be louder and clearer still. For if it is not, our relative silence and self-control will insure that THEY WILL COME AGAIN. Or to put it simply, sometimes you have to do something wrong in order to set things right.

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Posted by Michael Mark '79 [mailto:MLASMARK@aol.com] on September 27, 2001 at 12:22 AM:

What happened September 11, 2001

To those of you who lost loved ones in the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, here's what happened in their final moments. Your father was a hero. When the building shook from the blast, he did not concern himself with fear. He helped unblock an office door which had been barricaded by debris and furniture that had moved. He freed three people.

Your friend who was on the plane being hijacked recognized immediately how serious the matter was and reached to calm the shaking hand of the person in the next seat.

Your wife saw a man bleeding from his head and she tore a piece from her shirt and made a bandage for him.

Your aunt helped her co-workers who could not find the exit through the smoke - they all made it. Then she went back for others.

Your nephew who was the pilot on the plane had only the safety of everyone on board in focus every second.

Your grandfather found a young man pinned under a fallen piece of ceiling and even when the young man said go on without him - he stayed until others heard the calls and came to help.

Your husband took on the hijackers believing it would cost his life. He helped save hundreds of people neither of you will ever know.

Your grandmother who worked at the Pentagon led hundreds who were physically stronger to a secure area, putting them before her own welfare as she always has.

Your uncle gave his water to a choking woman who gave him God's blessing with every floor they arrived at, arm in arm.

Your brother who always wanted to be a policeman knew without doubt as he followed the cries for help up the stairs this was the moment why.

Your sister searched her entire floor to make sure everyone was out of there before she began to make her own way down.

Your friend held the exit door open for his officemates with his wheelchair, cheering as they moved on that "We'll all get out together." And he didn't so much hold on to those who lifted him down as he hugged them.

Your son would not let the tired woman stop. He cajoled her by telling her she reminded him of you; how you two had to meet. He even called her mom to keep her moving. Your flight attendant daughter was forced to the back of the plane with all the