September 11, 2013
Question of the Week: “Where were you on September 11th, 2001, and what do you remember of that day?”
Adrienne: “I was in a meeting planning reunions for the University, and the security person in the meeting got called out because a plane had hit one of the towers. The University sent everyone home. I was very pregnant at the time. I went to the hospital three days later and there were no rooms because so many woman had gone into labor.”
Elian: “I don’t have any memories because I wasn’t born yet.”
—Adrienne Rubin with son Elian, Princeton
“I was in third grade. I was in school and the teachers didn’t tell us anything. I remember getting home on the school bus and my mom told me and my sisters what had happened. I didn’t really understand why it was so bad and why it was happening. I remember watching TV all afternoon.”—Alison Campion, Princeton University student
“I remember hearing from my neighbor and I couldn’t really believe her fully. I couldn’t believe we were being attacked. I remember all our neighbors were coming outside and we just couldn’t believe it.”
—Christine Cifelli, Princeton
Taylor: “I was probably in fourth grade. I remember it was a big deal and we got out of school early. My mother was really pretty upset. I remember figuring out about what really happened a day later.”Stacey: “I remember being in class and I remember the principal coming on the intercom and telling us that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center. I remember not knowing what that even meant? We weren’t really focusing on the event because the principal was crying and fourth graders thought that was funny. School closed and we were sent home early. I lived near D.C., everything was chaotic.” —Taylor James and Stacey Menjivar, Princeton University students
“I was in court, I’m a retired lawyer. The first I heard about it was when I was in conference with a judge who said a small plane had crashed into the World Trade Center tower, and I thought it was a plane that had flown off course. It wasn’t until I was on my way home and heard the news on the radio that I realized what had happened.”—James Schwerin, Princeton