story5157.xml

story5157.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was at home on the morning of September 11th. I'd turned on the TV to watch a morning program. The story broke with within minutes. I watched in a semi-numb state as the horror unfolded. The magnitude of the tragedy was obvious. Collapse of parts or all of the buildings crossed my mind. Then, it happened. It was amazing to me that the the number of deaths was not in the tens of thousands, although even 10 deaths would be too many. It wasn't until later that I learned how connected I was to this disaster. Rev. Frank Grogan, of the Order of the Holy Cross, who was a family friend and associate and friend of my uncle Rev. Albert A. Croce, was aboard AA Flight #175, the second plane. I was very saddened by this loss. At age 76, he died too young. He was a vital, energetic, simple, holy, faith-filled priest who was loved by everyone who met him. I soon learned of other connections. Aboard that same plane were the Shearers, a retired couple who'd just moved into their dream home in Dover from nearby Portsmouth, NH. The crash of the AA Flight #11 brought tragedy to the Ford's Landing Condominiums where I live. My neighbor Paul Martin?s sister Karen Ann Martin was a flight attendant in the forward section of AA flight #11 which also carried our fellow Ford's Landing neighbor Douglas Stone, co-founder of Odyssey Press in nearby Gonic, NH. He was a man admired by his partner and employees. In his memory and the memory of all lost on September 11th, his partner and employees built and dedicated an inscribed granite bench and flagpole on company grounds at 8:46 AM on the first anniversary to the minute of the crash of AA Flight 11.