When we lived in New Jersey and I ran the international business for Pharmacia Animal Health, I bought tickets for me and my two young boys to see the Yankees play the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in Bronx on September 10, 2001. Back then, and as I still think today, this was the greatest rivalry in sports, and we were all very excited. But after waiting around for a while in the stadium, the game was called because of rain, and we headed home rather bummed out.
The traffic across the George Washington Bridge was terrible that night, and since the boys liked to see the lights of Manhattan, we headed down the FDR Drive to lower Manhattan to drive around the World Trade Center. Despite the weather, the stormy skies made for dramatic views of the massive towers that symbolized the strength of the city and our country. We didn’t get to see two great baseball teams play, but we got to see two great towers.
The morning of Tuesday, September 11, was gorgeous. When the first plane hit the North Tower, I was finishing a budget review meeting with the country manager of Japan. When the second plane hit the South Tower, I had just started a budget review meeting with the country manager of Brazil. These two country managers on the other sides of the world told me that planes had hit the towers – that’s how I found out.
The traffic was terrible that morning because the Giants had lost to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football and people were late leaving for work. One of my best friends was late for a morning meeting with Cantor Fitzgerald in their offices at the top of the North Tower. He was stuck on the George Washington Bridge – no one in the Cantor Fitzgerald offices that morning survived.
Because of the weather, we saw the magnificent WTC towers the night before they collapsed and burned for 100 days. Because of the traffic, my friend’s life was spared. I will never forget what happened that day.
Telling stories is a great way to remember things in our lives – for me it is cathartic. If you have a story about 9/11 you’d like to tell, send it to us and we will figure out a way to share them with our readers.
Bob Jones, CEO
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