Volume 124 Issue 16
kansan.com
Monday, September 12, 2011
SEPTEMBER 9,2011
Alumni share firsthand experiences
LUKE RANKER
lranker@kansan.com
In the Midwest, the University of Kansas may have seemed sheltered from the tragedy unfolding during the East Coast terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, but some University alumni had firsthand experience. The tragedy affected each one in a different way.
"I lost three friends that worked for institutional investment firms located in the World Trade," David Griffith said.
Griffith, a 1986 graduate, was home on the Upper East Side when the planes struck the towers.
Neva Murphy, a 1985 graduate, worked at a Washington, D.C., development company. She said the memory of smoke rising at the Pentagon from her office four miles away will always be with her.
"Even though I went to work the next day, for the better part of six weeks I became agitated anytime I heard sirens or fighter jets," Murphy said.
Doug Glass, a 1995 graduate, had been in Buffalo, N.Y., working on a project for IBM on Sept. 11, but he returned to the city after the attack. His friend had planned a party for that weekend prior to the attacks and decided to have it anyway.
"I'll never forget taking a subway across the Manhattan Bridge to the party in Brooklyn with the smoke still rising from the fires of the rubble" Glass said.
Glass said the mood of the party was full of gloom and uncertainty.
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The party wasn't the only way Glass chose to ignore the calamity. Sept. 11 did not stop Glass or Griffith from flying. Just days after the attacks both men boarded planes in New York.
Glass flew back to Buffalo the following Monday, and Griffith flew to London for a previously planned vacation.
"I didn't think it was a big deal," said Griffith, who grew up in an Air Force family and loved flying. "I certainly didn't feel like I could let terrorists change my travel plans."
For some, flying was a way to continue a normal life after the attacks.
"I wasn't afraid of flying. In a small way, it was an act of defiance." Glass said.
McCoy covered the tragedy for WBNS-TV, the CBS affiliate in Columbus, Ohio. He remembers leaving Ohio and immediately noticing the different atmosphere landing in New York.
"It was in the 80's and sunny (when we left). It was still summer. But by the end of the week it was cool and dark. It was fall," McCoy said. "I guess it was just the dichotomy of the experience"
"Al-Qaeda wanted to shut down the free world, and did for a few days. So flying was me telling them to go to hell. I'm not saying I handled it better, just differently."
When the North Tower of the
While Glass and Griffith both chose to defy the terrorists as their way of moving on, Murphy found comfort in her home.
"I had a beautiful view of the National Cathedral from every window in my condo. Just seeing it lit up gave me comfort that night," Murphy said.
Bernard McCoy, 1979 graduate, remembered many things about Sept. 11 and the days following, but a few moments especially stick out.
DAVID GRIFFITH Kansas alumnus
ower of the World Trade Center was hit, he was at home in Ohio, getting his kids ready for school. He and his photographer, Chris Hedrick, were preparing to leave for an assignment upstate.
At the time, neither knew the crash was an act of terrorism. They learned of the second plane crash during their drive north.
As the story unfolded over the radio, the magnitude of the situation began to sink in.
"About 60 or 70 miles north of Columbus, we decided to call our news director," McCoy said. "A few minutes later he called back. He told us to turn right and go to New York."
They drove across Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey to arrive at Liberty State Park, directly
across the Hudson from Ground Zero, just in time to broadcast on the 11:00 p.m. news. McCoy remembers the scene coming into Jersey City, N.J.
"To the east it looked like a giant cloud was enveloping the city," McCoy said.
He said that as they came over a ridge into the river valley, they could tell the cloud was actually smoke coming from where the Trade Center once stood.
"It was like a cauldron of a smoldering volcano," he said.
The night after the attacks, McCoy and Hedrick went across the Hudson to interview rescue workers. McCoy said they took the only subway running from New Jersey to New York, but it was basically vacant. On the way back that night, McCoy can remember a woman in their train car suddenly bursting into tears.
Through their experiences, McCoy and Griffith both said that the courage and compassion of the citizens of New York made an impression.
"I guess what sticks with me even now was the camaraderie of New Yorkers in recovering and rebuilding," Griffith said.
He said he and several other University alumni volunteered at a restaurant that served Ground Zero rescue workers.
"They really came together to get through the tragedy," McCoy said. "We began to witness this incredible outpouring of people helping."
— Edited by Laura Nightengale
9/11 BY THE NUMBERS
Number of victims killed in the attacks:
2,819
Time between when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers and when they fell, in minutes.
56 Tower 2
Tower 1 102
Days between attacks and U.S. action against Afghanistan: 26
Economic cost of the attacks $100 M
10 Number of years the U.S. has been militarily involved in either Iraq or Afghanistan:
3,519 Number of days between attacks 05
SOURCES: NEW YORK MAGAZINE
CONSEIL ON LICENCE FOREIGN RELATIONS
INSTITUTE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF
GLOBAL SECURITY
LAWRENCE
Thirteen escape unharmed from Tennessee Street blaze
A house burned on the 1300 block of Tennessee Street Sunday. All occupants escaped unharmed, but the house suffered severe damage.
MIKE GUNNOE/KANSAN
IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
All of the occupants escaped with no injuries, but the fire destroyed virtually all of their possessions, and the house is severely damaged. At least 13 people were in the house, including seven students who lived there, according to James Hennahane, a sophomore from Leawood. Hennahane said he was asleep inside when the fire started.
Fire engulfed a house on the 1300 block of Tennessee Street around 6 a.m. Sunday,
"We're just so happy everyone
Index CLASSIFIEDS 11A CRYPTOQUIPS 4A SPORTS 12A CROSSWORD 4A OPINION 5A SUDOKU 4A
"The fire alarm was going, but people were still sleeping." Adford
Hennahane was one of the last to exit; neighbors lent him shoes and a shirt. He watched the fire from outside as a propane tank on the porch by the grill exploded, destroying part of the roof. He said every part of the house was damaged by fire and water.
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire-Medical is investigating the cause of the fire, according to Sgt. Randy Roberts, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman.
Andrew Adford, a sophomore from Moorpark, Calif., was one of the first to discover a sofa on fire on the porch. After waking several people on the first floor, Adford saw that the fire had grown out of control and consumed the porch.
got out alive," he said.
Chance Penner and Matt Gasper contributed to this story.
John Kindscher, a sophomore from Leawood, also was asleep when the fire started.
Some residents will stay with family in the Kansas City area while they make decisions about what to do next. Kathryn Tuttle, the Vice Provost for Student Success, contacted the students Sunday to
"You don't really have time to think," he said. "Just try to get everybody and get out. The fire started so fast, and the smoke was so thick."
said. After helping to warn people on the second and third floors, he exited the house through a third-floor fire escape.
offer help obtaining textbooks, temporary housing and emergency funds. Students can donate household items and money at collection boxes located at the Student Union Activities office in the Kansas Union or at the office of the Jayhawker Towers.
— Edited by Laura Nightengale
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Don't forget
This is the last week to add or drop a class. Make sure your schedule is set. You can't do this one online — stop by the registrar's office.
Today's weather
Forecasts done by University students. For a more detailed forecast, see page 24.
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