Entry from my diary - Sept.11, 2001

Having kept a diary most of my adult life, I dug up my journal from 9/11/01 including a scrap of paper that I handed to my supervisor who was just introducing the training we had just begun in Saratoga. I had been tapped on the shoulder by Nancy, the owner of the training facility who brought me into the kitchen where a television showed the smoke from the first tower. Stunned, she prompted me to notify my supervisor about the attack. I struggled with finding the words to scribble onto that piece of paper. I can’t remember which version she read. But here it is…

Pam - at next break?
A terrorist attack on the world trade center – a 737 airplane hit the world trade center 1 at 9:00 and 1 at 9:03. Karen wants to know if you want a TV set up or if you want to just announce alerts all over NYC.

Thought you should know – A terrorist attack just occurred at the world trade center. A 737 airplane crashed in to the building (2 planes? At 9:00 and 9:03?) NYC is on alert.

Here's is a part of the journal entry.....some parts deleted.

3pm 9-11-01

At this moment, I am at the Wayside Inn in Saratoga for a Suicide Prevention training. We are all strangers here, but we have one thing in common. For years to come we will all recall where we were when the news came that 4 domestic airplanes were hijacked - 2 of which crashed into the World Trade Center……….As I learned of the news, I immediately attempted to contact Steve and Pam Rosenbaum for which I was unsuccessful due to phone lines being jammed. Eventually, I was able to contact Eileen who had made contact with them shortly after 9am, before plane #2 crashed.....My dad cried today…..he may have lost friends in this attack and our cousin Janet works at the trade center. At SUNY, they cancelled classes. My mom is visiting Aunt Rose in Florida and can’t get home. Roger can’t get home as well, but I don’t know the details yet. His message indicates that Rt. 28A our road leading to our home has been closed. We think its because our road surrounds the reservoir – the water which feeds NYC.

TOMORROW – I will transcribe my diary notes from a volunteer trip to Ground Zero that I took with the SUNY New Paltz AmeriCorps students three months later.....