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Remembrances Please use this space to
add your remembrances or reflections on the events
of 9-11-2001:
Bob, you organized a wonderful program to commemorate
the events of last year that will forever change all of our lives. The music
was outstanding. Thank-you for helping all of us deal with this in a different
way.
Pat Doyle
Linden Hills
The following thank you
note was dropped off at the hardware store the day following the 9-11 Tribute
Concert. Planning this event fulfilled a dream of instilling community spirit
while remembering and paying tribute to the heroes and victims of the 9-11
tragedy. Thanks to all who helped make this Our 9-11 Tribute the BEST!
-Bob Bayers
September 12th, 2002
Dear Mr. Bayers: I wanted to thank you for the wonderful September
11th Tribute concert that you created. Many people have ideas but not a lot of
people have the drive and the courage to turn those ideas into reality. It's
inspiring to know that there are people out there who, even though they are
only one small person, can make a big difference. Creating an event of that
scale is no small feat. Thank you to you and everyone involved who helped bring
your idea to fruition.
To me the concert was more then a
tribute to the victims and the heroes of September 11th. It was a showcase of
community, both in terms of the many people who gave of their time and
resources to the event, and of the many people who gathered at the band shell
last night.
Community is a precious commodity in our
increasingly hurried and digital lives and it is the community that I've
encountered over and over since moving to Linden Hills last winter. From the
local shops to events such as Linden Hills Live. Thank you for helping to
create that community.
I hope the enclosed donation will
help make it possible to hold a tribute concert next year and for many years
into the future. And if the concert does occur next year, which I'm sure it
will, I would love to play in the orchestra.
Linden Hills
resident
I was working at the check-in counter at Northwest Airlines
here in Mpls. A passenger came to check in and asked if there were any flight
delays here due to the crash in New York? It was the first that any of us had
heard anything. We started to call our operations department and our managers.
I called home and asked my husband if he could confirm this horrible story. He
turned on the T.V. just as the plane hit the 2nd tower. He told me, "Another
one just crashed into the other tower!" We knew then that something was
terribly wrong, that this was some deliberate act. At the airport, first we
were told that the whole East Coast was closed. Then after the 4th plane
crashed in Pennsylvania, all flights were grounded across the country. Every
plane in the air was ordered to land at the nearest airport. Minneapolis/St.
Paul Airport was inundated with flights we weren't expecting, and questions
from people waiting for friends and loved ones to arrive. All flights were
grounded for many days, and people were stranded all over the country. Many
others were afraid to fly and some still won't. My job, my life and my trust in
the goodness of ALL human beings changed forever on that day. I hope and pray
that my children will be able to have their childhoods free of this destruction
of humanity and the loss of innocence. I pray for peace and hope for us
all.
Sue Sempel
Minnetonka, MN.
I awoke that day,which
was my 40th birthday, expecting to feel bad because I felt like I was getting
older. When a friend called to wish me happy birthday and then told me that a
plane had hit one of the World Trade Centers I was in total disbelief. My
selfish feelings of "feeling older" gave way to feelings of thankfulness to be
alive. I had been in NYC less than 2 weeks prior to celebrate my birthday and
was originally supposed to be there on my actual birthday, 9/11. I feel
connected to this event in a very personal way and will be strongly reminded,
as I get to celebrate each birthday, of all those who do not get to celebrate
theirs.
Kathleen
Rosemount
My husband Charlie and I are
both originally from New York City. We often go back to visit since we still
have many relatives and friends there. In fact we had our wedding reception
last July on a boat which circled the island. Watching a reflection of a red
sun filtered through rain clouds as it set on the twin towers was one of the
highlights of the evening. We were in New York once again the week before 9/11.
We had dinner at a lovely restaurant at the World Financial Center on Saturday
the 8th. It was a gorgeous evening and we spent a long time wandering around
the area, observing the yachts and once again watching the sun set on the twin
towers. I remember everything looked and felt so bright and sparkly. We
returned to Minneapolis on Sunday the 9th. Tuesday morning I turned on the TV
to check the weather just as the second plane was about to hit. The next days
and weeks were to awful and sad to bear. I was furious that this had happened
to my hometown and I was not there to help. Thankfully all our loved ones who
live and work in New York survived. However one close friend who is a NYC
firefighter suffered the loss of 12 men from his house as well as all his other
comrades lost that day. Through him, the horror, sadness, anger and bitterness
have been brought home to us time and time again. Although a year is about to
pass, the feelings still remain. They are less intense now but we should never
forget what happened that day and why it happened. Thank you for organizing
this event. It helps immensely to know that there are so many who feel so
strongly.
Rani
Linden Hills
My thoughts are with my
friend and hero Mark Bingham for his selfless act on flight 93. Live on in our
love Mark, and thank you!
Chuck Hagel
Kingfield
My
husband and I were in New York City that morning on the subway on our way
Uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and when we got off the subway a woman
said "have you heard that a plane hit the World Trade Center?" We were stunned
as were all of the people we saw on the street as we walked back to our hotel
in Midtown. All public transportation was shut down as were all of the
businesses. We didn't know that the towers had collapsed until we got back to
our hotel room and turned on the TV. It was quite eerie on Tuesday night to see
Times Square totally deserted-like a ghost town.
Marian
Johnson
Bloomington
I heard the horrific news while driving to work.
At first, I thought the funny disc jockey was making a joke and I laughed and
shook my head. As the report went on and I heard the tone of his voice, it
slowly came to me that this was NOT a joke - someone actually attacked us on
our own soil. Never did I think I'd live to see that day. I began to shake and
breathe a little shallow-ly and tears began rolling down my cheeks as I
realized the atrocity done to innocents. May the many remembrances around the
country bring comfort to those left behind.
Janet
Antioch,
IL
September 11th 2001 was a tragic event in our nations history. We
will never forget what happened one year ago. We have planned this musical
tribute to honor the brave people who lost their lives and those who aided in
rescue efforts on that day. We will honor America and the freedoms we enjoy,
wave our flag and raise our voices in song. It is hoped that this concert will
allow our community the opportunity to reflect on the events of a year ago and
share in the emotions we are all dealing with. Please call a friend or relative
and ask that they view this site and invite them to attend.
Bob
Bayers
Linden Hills
I too was at work when the attacks took place.
Everyone in my department was huddled around a small TV in our training room
and no one said a word (besides a few "Oh My Gods") for several hours. This
isn't much of a remembrance but I will never forget the sense of hurt, fear and
sadness in that room.
Dan
Eden Prairie
A couple of days
after the September 11th attacks I received a message from my aunt that my
cousin's sister-in-law and her fiancee were on Flight 175 (which hit the south
tower). They were both flight attendants working at the time. I can't say I
really knew either of them, but it certainly brought the events much closer to
home. I can only imagine what it would have been like to lose someone closer to
me. Another brief and less direct remembrance I have is hearing about the first
tower's collapse on the radio. I had been watching CNN with my fellow employees
at work when I decided I needed to go outside to be away from people to try to
make sense of it all. I will never forget turning on NPR in my car and hearing
the rock-solid voice of Bob Edwards cracking as he watched and tried to
describe the first tower falling. It was incredibly sad.
Joseph
Linden Hills
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