On the morning of September 11, 2001, I walked into my 6th-grade classroom at 9:00 AM to find our teacher glued to the television, silently watching as black smoke billowed from the World Trade Center. Instead of her usual warm welcome, Ms. DeLaVerne stoically instructed us to “take our seats.” As an 11-year-old, my thoughts were simple […]
25 Years Since September 11: Staff Stories: John Isaacs, 50s, Washington, D.C.
On September 11, 2001, I was working at the Center’s sister organization, the Council for a Livable World. Our office was in the Methodist Building across from the Supreme Court with the Capitol a very short distance away. In those ancient times, I would watch the Senate and House on TV, and when the bells rang for […]
25 Years Since September 11: Staff Stories: John Erath, 30s, Arlington, Virginia
On September 11, 2001, at 9 AM, we had a staff meeting as normal for a Tuesday. It was a warm, late summer day with an endless blue sky in Arlington, VA that morning with no hint that we would always remember the day. I worked in the Pentagon. One of our support staff came […]
25 Years Since September 11: Staff Stories: Conor Donlevy, 1, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
I was just over a year old on September 11, 2001. Far too young to have any memories of my own of the date, but my parents told me their stories several times. I was with my mother visiting my grandparents in Pennsylvania and my father was away on a golf trip in Ireland. When news crossed […]
25 Years Since September 11: Staff Stories: Anna Schumann, 15, Houston, Texas
On September 11, 2001, I was 15, a sophomore in high school, in Houston, Texas. I don’t remember the weather, though my guess is hot and humid. I don’t remember the bus ride to school or first-period geometry, though as a non-math person, I’m sure I thought then that that class would be the worst part of […]
