story6492.xml
Title
story6492.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-12
911DA Story: Story
My name is Elizabeth J. Conner. I am a former journalist, editor, and teacher; I had retired from those jobs to become my sister's business manager in 1997.
On Sept. 11, 2001, I was soundly asleep in my apartment, a small two-story carriage house behind my sister's office. The phone rang, and it was my sister, Barbara N. Conner MD, a geriatrician in practice in Hallettsville, TX. "A plane just hit the World Trade Center," she said. "Go turn on TV." I went downstairs, incredulous at the news, and saw the first tower in flames. As an ex-journalist, I thought, "50,000 people may have died; this will be the next world war, the next conflict." I sat and watched the next tower struck; then realizing I might be needed to help with possible grief reactions and calls from our patients, I went to the office, a mere 20 paces away. The rest of the day is a blur; confusion, grief, fear ran through my mind. The loss of life weighed heavily on me; I wished I had skills that could aid in the recovery efforts. It remains the kind of day in which life is measured: pre-911, and after-911.
On Sept. 11, 2001, I was soundly asleep in my apartment, a small two-story carriage house behind my sister's office. The phone rang, and it was my sister, Barbara N. Conner MD, a geriatrician in practice in Hallettsville, TX. "A plane just hit the World Trade Center," she said. "Go turn on TV." I went downstairs, incredulous at the news, and saw the first tower in flames. As an ex-journalist, I thought, "50,000 people may have died; this will be the next world war, the next conflict." I sat and watched the next tower struck; then realizing I might be needed to help with possible grief reactions and calls from our patients, I went to the office, a mere 20 paces away. The rest of the day is a blur; confusion, grief, fear ran through my mind. The loss of life weighed heavily on me; I wished I had skills that could aid in the recovery efforts. It remains the kind of day in which life is measured: pre-911, and after-911.
Collection
Citation
“story6492.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 19, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/14524.