nmah5408.xml
Title
nmah5408.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2003-01-14
NMAH Story: Story
I am a professor of biology at Queensborough Community College of the City University of NY. From the west facing picture window on the fourth floor of the medical arts building you can see the entire profile of the city with the WTC twin towers anchoring the southern vista.
Before classes on the 11th of September our chief technician came into the office to announce that a plane had struck the WTC. I immediately ran to the window and saw the now familiar smoking tower. As we were watching the other tower began to erupt as if it was a volcano erupting. My wife called to tell me that one of my daughters who was working for American Express witnessed the horror from her window and was evacuating the world financial center immediately. I was then informed that another plane hit the Pentagon where another daughter was working. I immediately left the college and went to my wife's office at North Shore University Hospital where we were in a state of disbelief. We were trying to contact our two daughters with no success. The phone lines, cell and land were not operating and with the collapse of the towers were were not sure of the whereabouts of the daughter at the WTC.
For a few hours we were extremely distraught. Finally we were called by my daughter from D.C. that she was OK but two of her coworkers were lost.
Shortly after that we received a call from the daughter in the city that she was OK. No shoes, purse etc, but alive.
We began to cry with relief and could grieve for the ones who were not so fortunate.
The window on the fourth floor now has the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building as monuments but there exists the void to the south.
Eugene Leff, PhD
Commack, NY
Before classes on the 11th of September our chief technician came into the office to announce that a plane had struck the WTC. I immediately ran to the window and saw the now familiar smoking tower. As we were watching the other tower began to erupt as if it was a volcano erupting. My wife called to tell me that one of my daughters who was working for American Express witnessed the horror from her window and was evacuating the world financial center immediately. I was then informed that another plane hit the Pentagon where another daughter was working. I immediately left the college and went to my wife's office at North Shore University Hospital where we were in a state of disbelief. We were trying to contact our two daughters with no success. The phone lines, cell and land were not operating and with the collapse of the towers were were not sure of the whereabouts of the daughter at the WTC.
For a few hours we were extremely distraught. Finally we were called by my daughter from D.C. that she was OK but two of her coworkers were lost.
Shortly after that we received a call from the daughter in the city that she was OK. No shoes, purse etc, but alive.
We began to cry with relief and could grieve for the ones who were not so fortunate.
The window on the fourth floor now has the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building as monuments but there exists the void to the south.
Eugene Leff, PhD
Commack, NY
NMAH Story: Life Changed
Yes.
I appreciate my children even more and appreciate the strength of NY.
I appreciate my children even more and appreciate the strength of NY.
NMAH Story: Remembered
The heroism of the firefighters, police, and volunteers who gave of themselves for others
NMAH Story: Flag
Yes I did.
We proudly display the flag still and do not feel it is a symbol of jingoism any longer
We proudly display the flag still and do not feel it is a symbol of jingoism any longer
Citation
“nmah5408.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed November 23, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/43910.