East Coast alumni share stories of horror and hope
As quickly as reports of the Sept. 11 terrorist atrocities hit the news, members of the Lewis & Clark family throughout the world were telephoning and e-mailing messages to each other with one burning question: "Are you safe?" and with one thought: "I care."
"Eric Taussig ’91 may have been working in downtown New York," wrote Michael Sterzel ’91 from Sao Paulo, Brazil. "If you have any information regarding his safety or whereabouts, please let me know."
"Eric Taussig is okay," responded Jaime Gonzalez ’90, vice president at Fleet Boston Financial Corp. "I spoke to him this morning."
"While my husband and I are safe in Connecticut, I am worried about a classmate, Sara Scott Cerato ’68, who is a close friend and was just a house guest of ours. She lives and works in Manhattan in the financial district," wrote Anne Ford Matthews ’68.
"I just had a lengthy conversation with Sara from her temporary emergency Philadelphia office," said Bonnie Stern, associate vice president for major gifts. "She told a truly remarkable tale of her trip after the attack on the second tower from the Salomon Smith Barney building in the World Trade Center complex to Battery Park, and ultimately, to 77th and Madison. She was on foot, in heels and suit, carrying a briefcase, fleeing for her life.
Jeffrey Lewis J.D. ’89 was in the air, flying to Boston, when the two planes were hijacked.
Lt. Col. Lorna VanderZanden ’80, who usually works in the Pentagon, was attending a meeting in Florida at the time and is safe.
While Emi Endo ’94, an alumna member of the Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr., Society of Fellows, covered the tragedy in New York for Newsday, Julia Duin ’78 reported the attack on the Pentagon for the Washington Times.
"I’m safe and well. At a time like this, it was good to know that my alma mater will always be with me in spirit," wrote Jim Spivey ’89 of Brooklyn, New York.
"President Mooney sent e-mail messages to those in our community who live and work in affected areas, expressing our concern and offering to help in any way we could," said Paul Moredock, associate vice president for development and alumni relations. "We were amazed by the immediacy and reflective tone of the responses. Some alumni later sent additional thoughts when we asked permission to reprint."
From New York
"The hell I have seen has left me in shock and disbelief. I was eight blocks from the World Trade Center when the second plane crashed. I could see, hear and feel the explosion as it ripped through the building. I was only four blocks away when I saw bodies falling or jumping from the building.
"As 2 World Trade Center began to grumble and collapse, survival took over, and I joined the fleeing chaos.
"You can’t even imagine the devastation of the World Trade Center on lower Manhattan. It is comparable to Mount St. Helens after its eruption, except this devastation left paperwork, clothing and other items as well as inches of ash.
"The one and only piece of paper I picked up as we wandered by the Federal Reserve Building was page 16 of 17 of ‘The World Trade Center Vacancy Report.’ Chilling.
"So far, everyone I know in New York City is safe except one person whose office was located on the 92nd floor of 2 World Trade Center. Reports are not promising for him. I’m reminded of the preciousness of life and loved ones."
—Tim Bailey ’92, M.A.T. ’93, Key Account Sales Coordinator for Adidas America, New York City
"I walked to the Promenade with our school psychologist when we first heard the news of a plane flying into 1 World Trade Center. We thought, if we could see the damage with our own eyes, we could assess the situation and plan a response.
"As we were on our way, the second tower was hit. By the time we got to the area, both towers were ablaze.
"Packer remained at its best all day. My students and the faculty were incredible, and we cleared out the school by midafternoon. I am exhausted now. The streets are very quiet tonight. We can smell the smoke."
—Susan Feibelman ’77, Upper School Director, Packer Collegiate Institute, New York City
"I work as a supervisor in the business office of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, about 5 to 10 minutes from Manhattan.
"Shortly after the collapse of the first building, the hospital called in all doctors and nurses to handle the swarm of expected casualties. I volunteered immediately and was placed on a list to be called when needed.
"I later learned that the hospital’s newly created helicopter pad was used three times to transport people, and the hospital treated about 30 patients who were injured in the World Trade Center attack.
"The next morning, when I drove to the train station, I found an unusually empty parking lot. Most people did not go to work that day. I was horrified when I noticed that there were solitary cars randomly scattered around the lot. These were the cars of people who went to work Sept. 11 and did not make it home.
"I heard from two friends who made it out of the building in time. One is still unaccounted for.
—Eric Bergman ’91, Billing Office Supervisor, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica, Queens, New York
"My wife worked near 7 World Trade Center. She didn’t arrive home until the day after the attacks. She was covered with soot. She will not be able to return to her job until this disaster is cleaned up.
"One of my wife’s employees, who had just started working for Cantor Fitzgerald, just had his funeral in upstate New York. He was 26 years old and use to play with my daughter when she would go to day care at 7 World Trade Center while my wife worked at Smith Barney. He left three days before Sept. 11 to go to his new position at Cantor Fitzgerald.
"Many volunteers, police, and firefighters are down there, even today, and God bless them for the job they are doing.
"It has been trying for my friends who have had to go to ground zero, looking for their fellow police officers. My close friend found the cockpit of the plane. In it were bin Laden’s man who flew the plane into the building and a stewardess. She was tied to her seat and her throat was slashed.
"I recently went to a Mets game, the first game played in the stadium after the incident, and 33,000 people turned out. It was my 50th birthday, and I was not going to be kept from having fun. Liza Minnelli sang "New York, New York," and Diana Ross sang the National Anthem. The Mets won on Mike Piazza’s home run. New York City firefighters and New York City police were admitted to the game without charge."
—Daniel Tolchin ’74, President, Northland Mortgage Corp., Merrick, New York
"Thankfully, I was uptown on Sept. 11. Fellow alumni Joey Wachs ’91 and Andrew Lieberman ’93 are here, and I have spoken to them. They are safe, as am I. I worked in the World Trade Center from 1997 to 1999.
"We are begining to recover. A little voice said, ‘Leave New York and find safety elsewhere,’ but the big voice said, ‘Stay in New York. Be a part of the recovery of the city and this great country.’
"We all can work to rebuild the fabric of our country, which was torn by the fanatics on those planes. As an artist here, I will continue to bring plays to life and help rebuild. I thank Lewis & Clark for giving me solid grounding and perspective, upon which I now stand."
—Actor Michael Healey ’91, New York
"Lois and I work for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which built and owned the World Trade Center. Our office PBX and WAN were both located in the World Trade Center, so we were cut off from communication. The Port Authority lost 74 employees, mostly emergency personnel in 1 World Trade Center.
"We are still personally shattered because we spent so much time in the World Trade Center or looking at it. It’s hard to deal with its loss."
—Duncan Frissell ’73, New York
"My friend David Cubley J.D. ’78 lost an eight-month battle with cancer. His memorial service was at 4 p.m., Sept. 11, in Canton, New York. Our classmate Tom Erwin J.D. ’80 was there. Randy Baidas J.D. ’78 spoke eloquently. Under the circumstances, David would have made it a service of remembrance for all who passed away Sept. 11, open to the community, encouraging all to attend, pray and reflect.
"Better times are ahead. In no small part because of institutions like Lewis & Clark, this nation is a nation ruled by law, dedicated to principles of recognition of diversity, fairness, justice and due process. The application of those principles in the coming weeks and months will, I feel, be an example to the rest of the world and a point of pride for all of us."
—J. Russell Langwig III J.D. ’79, Schoharie, New York
"I live within a few blocks of ground zero. I see dust and ash over everything in our house. I smell the fires, and I hear the bulldozers working every hour of the day and night. I now walk an hour to work, because taxis can’t get into this area. So many things have changed our way of life.
"But people who don’t know each other are sharing stories and that helps ease the pain. And people are helping each other in ways I’ve never seen New Yorkers do before."
—Sara Scott Cerato ’68, Vice President and Director, International Sales, Salomon Smith Barney
From Washington, D.C., Area
"I have been working in the Emergency Operations Center for Arlington County. Our fire, police, employee assistance, procurement and maintenance crews have been fantastic as we have worked to put out the fire and recover the remains of our loved ones in the rubble of the Pentagon. We are all very proud of how quickly and thoroughly we have been able to respond.
"We need all of you. We need your quick minds, kind hearts and gentle souls to restore community while integrating the tremendous loss we have all felt. Wherever you are, learn from your grief and sorrow. We have a new world to build from these ashes. Help us do that!"
—Steve Larson ’70, Arlington, Va.
"My son Peter’s school in the Washington, D.C., bedroom community of Bethesda, Md., closed at 1:30 p.m., and I picked him up shortly before that time.
"We talked about being scared and being reassured that we were safe. My father gave me the words his parents used to tell him about the attack on Pearl Harbor.
"I had just returned from the cohesive, loving community of the Canada-US AIDS Vaccine Ride, and the day had been a great shock. I was further shaken by the fact that, only the day before, I enjoyed a delightful morning, flying back from Boston, observing the beauty of Washington from the air as we meandered down the river to Reagan National Airport.
"I am not a particularly religious person, but I think some strong thinking or prayer will help us all sort out this horrible day."
—Paul Jorgensen ’85, Attorney, Washington, D.C.
"One thing about a life dedicated to public service is that you always wake up ready to go to work.
"Several of McGovern’s constituents were on the plane that departed from Boston and hit the World Trade Center towers. Another was a flight attendant on the plane that departed Dulles and hit the Pentagon. Providing support and information to families in as unobtrusive way as possible is an important task for all of us. Congressman McGovern is at ground zero today, which is now the final resting place of these constituents—and thousands more."
—Cindy M. Buhl ’74, Legislative Director for U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern of Mass.
"My friend’s wife was buried last Friday at Arlington Cemetery in a grave within sight of the gaping hole in the Pentagon. This is the first day of the new fiscal year (Oct. 1). And in Washington, this is a new beginning for us all."
—Lt. Col. Lorna VanderZanden ’80
"I work in the Pentagon, but I was touring Washington, D.C., with my parents. We were quickly evacuated.
"My office in the Secretariat is exactly opposite to the point of impact. Members of the Navy staff had relocated from my side of the building to the impact side just weeks earlier."
—Carl Murphy ’82, Commander, U.S. Navy, Special Assistant, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Springfield, Va. | 
