Justice Gage | Visuals Co-Editor

September 11th is a day when every news site, every social media platform, and everyone’s mind is dominated by the events that took place on this day in 2001. In commemoration of this tragedy, Buena Vista University held a flag ceremony and moment of silence at 7:38 this morning by the victory bell. The ceremony was in remembrance of the victims and families of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93.

Today is a day of remembrance. Today is a day of mourning. Today is a day of appreciation. Thirteen years later, and most Americans can still vividly remember the events of that day like they happened yesterday. Several faculty and staff members agreed to share their memories, explaining where they were when they found out about the tragic news on September 11, 2001. The stories that follow are in the storytellers’ own words and offer insight to what was going on in their minds the day the Twin Towers fell.

Dr. Thomas Bonagura | Assistant Professor of Biology

“On September 11, 2001, I was actually in the process of writing my dissertation; so instead of being in the lab, I was at home in Maryland, outside of Baltimore. Just as I was going to turn off the television to start for the day, an announcement of a plane hitting the World Trade Center caught my ear. I decided to stick with this, and within a couple of minutes they had the footage of the plane going into the tower. As everyone knows, not long afterwards, the second plane hit the towers. At this point, I am the television and the events have become fascinating to the point of being almost hypnotic. I had moved from standing, holding a remote to turn off a TV, to standing in the living room to finally sitting, fully absorbed in what is happening – all in that state of conscious-unconsciousness where you cannot recall going from point A to point B. Because the event is unfolding live, in front of me, the initial feeling was not primarily emotional, but more all-encompassing disbelief. It certainly was out of bounds as far as my expectations for a typical sunny weekday morning. Not long afterward, my wife who was working in a high-rise building in Baltimore, called to say she was on her way; they were sending people in the buildings home. The rest of the day was spent taking in one previously unfathomable event after another. The longer the day became, the more we could process more and discuss the attacks. We are both from areas of New York and New Jersey that can be considered suburbs of the city. We have been there, many times; we know people who work there; all of our family is still in that area. The events took on a depth well beyond that initial shock. Eventually, however, a person can only handle so much in a day, and when the President’s address was done, so were we.”

Elizabeth LaPlanche | Residence Hall Director in Pierce/White Hall

“Was he okay?”
“Was he alive?”
“I hope he’s at home.”
“Please tell me that he took the day off.”
Noisy speakers echoed that cranky woman’s voice.
Old school tube TV strapped down to that annoying squeaky cart
News…..Planes…..Smoke.
Too cool for real life.
Wrong channel, must be the wrong channel.
Seriously too cool for real life; definitely the wrong channel.
“No! This is real. This is happening in New York” she said.
Too much for a 12 year old to handle.
Panic.
Parents don’t talk. One in Chicago, One in NY.
One plane and then another. Panic.
“Was he okay?”
Shattered glass. Gray smoke. Fire.
“Was he alive?”
Falling cement. Panic.
“I hope he’s at home.”
Beautiful angels flying.
“Please tell me that he took the day off.”
Marathon of reruns; all day.
“Was he okay?” “Was he alive?”
Tears.
“I’m lucky. He took the day off.”

Trevor Berneking | Director of Recreation Services

“When I found out about the tragedy of 9/11, I was a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, Crookston and I was working at a daycare center in the infant room. At first, I was trying to wrap my mind around what had actually happened, and then when I was able to see it on TV for the first time, I was shocked and speechless. I could not believe that someone or group would plan this type of attack!”

Miranda Pollock | Visiting Assistant Professor of Graphic Design

“I was working as an art director/web designer in a medical school as well as having just begun graduate school. My office mates and I walked across campus to pick up our morning jolt of caffeine. We stood in the open area of the coffee shop and listened to the local radio station blaring over the speakers. Stillness fell upon the area as we all listened to the news that an airplane had flown into a building in New York. Very quickly conjecture began as we wondered if this was a twin-engine plane, if the pilot had an injury, if this was accidental, or if this was a deliberate action. We discussed these various possibilities as we walked to our small office. Upon our return, we quickly found a small television to place in our office. We turned it on and heard news that yet another plane had flown into another building. Students taking breaks from their medical education slowly filled our office as they learned about the news. Every corner of our small space was filled with people, yet silence seemed to take up more space.

“I remember feeling a mix of shock, denial, and vulnerability. I remember a shift in my thinking, direction, and desires. I remember thinking that life was too valuable to be wasted on trivial pursuits. I remember looking at myself. I remember looking at my place in this world. I remember wanting to leave a legacy worthy of my time on this earth. I remember wanting more.”

Tami Laursen | Director of Health Services and Wellness

“I remember that day so vividly… I had arrived to work at BVU just as any other morning attending to business as usual. It wasn’t until Kim Carver, campus nurse, arrived somewhat upset talking about a plane that had hit the World Trade Center that I even knew something was happening. We immediately turned on a TV and watched intently as the rest of the day’s events unfolded. At first, I remember feeling so confused. The reporters really didn’t know what was happening. The next thing I remember were the reports of an additional attack on the Pentagon and the hijacking of United Airlines flight 93. Disbelief, fear and a ‘sick’ pit in my stomach remained and worsened as the Twin Towers collapsed. The massive destruction, loss of life and the stories of heroism and bravery shown that day and the days to follow are still unfathomable. I was drawn to every story and every report, and then I remember reaching a point where I couldn’t watch anymore. My heart ached that day, and is still filled with sadness, when I remember the many brave people that gave their life on that horrific day, a day that has forever changed the face of the United States of America.”

Chaplain Ken Meissner | Director of Spiritual Life

“I left the BV campus about 7:30 am on Sept. 11 with four young men from BVU, traveling on the road to Forest City for a funeral. The four students asked me to travel with them as a support for a fellow student whose father was killed in a car accident earlier that week. On the way, we switched on the radio and caught a scattered news report, which was confusing for us initially. As the information became more and more vivid, I could see those four faces, three through the rear view mirror, the one sitting shotgun…jaws dropped, unable to believe what was going on, fear, speechless, anxious… ‘What’s happening?’ We considered turning around but collected our thoughts and decided what our priority was for the day as we ventured toward the church toward a friend in need of compassion, stability and friendship. Our surroundings appeared unaffected. People were still on their way to work. School buses were picking up kids, and farmers gathered at the grain elevators for grain price reports and a cup of coffee with their peers.

We eventually arrived in Forest City and navigated toward the little church. Walking through the sea of people at the entrance, someone immediately grabbed my arm, and I was asked to make a phone call back to the University. The Dean of Students informed me that they wanted me back ASAP to sit on a panel with President Moore in Schaller Chapel to help process the day’s events with the campus community. We stayed for the funeral and had a chance to talk with the family at the cemetery and the students were definitely a gift to their grieving friend. No one in attendance seemed to be bothered much by what was going on in NYC and DC and the overloaded news reports. Honestly, my gut was anxious, but I tried not to expose too much fear so these young men I felt responsible for at this time.

We got back in the old, blue BV van, switched on the radio and had somewhat of an in-depth discussion on the shape of the world this day, the horrific news, and wondered if we were prepared for what seemed like the inevitable coming at us — the end it seemed or at least living in a country that was never going to be the same after terror hit our homeland. Cellphone conversations were lengthy as these young men spoke to their parents, all the while traveling on backroads bordered by endless miles of corn and bean fields toward our campus, our home for the moment, where life and our daily focus appeared to be transformed and clouded by what was going to unfold next. As the news reports flooded the TV, we had that instinct the world would never be the same as we stepped unto a campus community immersed in an atmosphere shrouded by grief, fear and apprehension.”

Dr. Bruce Ellingson | Professor of Digital Media

“On 9/11, I was Associate Dean of Faculty, officed in Dixon-Eilers. As I went about my morning routine, I stopped at the Business Office, where I heard that there had been an accident and a plane had hit one of the World Trade Towers. I continued my rounds of the morning, listening for more news about the accident, and I was at the Forum Information Desk watching live coverage of the news in New York City when—as I was standing there—the second plane hit the Towers.

Of course we knew immediately these were no accidents. I watched the news for several minutes in the Forum as others gathered around as well. When I returned to my office, my thoughts were of friends and alums who lived in the NYC. I began calling and sending emails, first to J. Lee Thompson, a BVU Mass Communication grad who lived in Manhattan, and then to others who lived in the neighboring boroughs outside the island. J. Lee was headed off the island to work in New Jersey as the first tower was hit, if my memory is accurate, and was out of harm’s way. The Smiths, a couple whom I had known since my early newspaper days in Minnesota, lived in Brooklyn and worked in Manhattan. That afternoon, of course, the subways were closed and they walked home miles with thousands of others south through Manhattan and across the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn in what sounded like a scene out of the Walking Dead. But no one I knew had died that day.”

Dr. Michael Whitlatch | Professor of Theatre

“I was actually at home when it all started. I rarely have the TV on in the morning and for some reason I did that day. I was watching ‘Imus in the Morning.’ He was then on MSNBC, as I recall, and one of his contributors was calling in on the phone from where he lived down by Wall Street. I remember thinking it was very strange that a plane would hit one of the towers because they are not in the flight pattern for New York area airports. As the cameras began to focus in on the second plane aiming for the other tower, I immediately knew this was no accident. It was planned. I was stunned. My thoughts immediately went to BV students I had taken to the Towers, my son looking down on the streets of New York from the Towers, and the potential loss of life that was just now occurring. I never imagined they would fall. I came to school and joined another faculty member in a classroom watching what was going on and did see the Towers fall and just as they fell I got a text from a BV student who works in New York saying, ‘Doc, what is wrong with the world?’”

Dr. Mary Gill | Professor of Communication Studies

“I learned about the first plane striking the twin towers from Dr. Joe Patten, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the time. His office was near mine, and we were both always in the office very early each day. He was a great jokester and came hurriedly into my office and said, “a plane just flew into one of the twin towers.” I responded, ‘Ok, so what’s the punch line?’ assuming he had created or heard a joke with which he was trying to catch me. Sadly, he had no joke and there wasn’t a thing amusing about that day. We both expressed concern about trying to hold classes as events were unfolding. The dissonance we felt over the need to be glued to the unfolding events, finding out what the real story was, and carrying on with our duties – maintaining as much normalcy as possible for students – was daunting.”

Dr. Becka Neary-De La Porte | Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development

“On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was practicing formations and about turns with 40 other members of my high school marching band. It was not until I entered my first period creative writing class and turned to the classroom television that I became aware of the tragedy that was unfolding. While my classmates and myself watched the news coverage on a dusty, unused classroom television, we processed our questions and confusion out loud, hoping one of us was able to decipher the chaos and mixed messages. For the next 40 minutes of first period we watched intently to the news unfolding on the television, and we continued to be confused and swarmed with emotions we could not describe. Our English teacher, Mr. D, asked us to write down our thoughts, questions, and feelings as an outlet and a processing tool. The rest of the morning was a blur. TV’s were turned on in each classroom, and various announcements were being made over the intercom regarding safety procedures and the availability of counselors.”

Dr. Wind Goodfriend | Associate Professor of Psychology

“I was in graduate school and was supposed to teach a class that day. I had the news on while I was getting ready for the day, and saw the smoke coming out of the towers on TV. I remember thinking that it was some kind of simulation, like, “This is what would happen if a bomb went off.” It took me a few minutes to realize that the plane crash had happened and what I was seeing was real. Then I thought, “Should I cancel my class? What happens now?” I went to work and held class, though, because several people told me that in times of crisis, routine and sticking to plans helps people find comfort.”

Lisa Muesburger | Information Desk

“It was a beautiful sunny day at Buena Vista County Park just 30 minutes north of Storm Lake. Working for Buena Vista County Conservation as the Naturalist, I was setting up the educational sessions around the park and walking the trails about 7:30 a.m. before 50-plus second grade students and their teachers from the Alta school district were to spend the day learning about animal and plant life in the wild. I had many fun activities planned such as, Iowa Mammals and Tracks, a Monarch Butterfly tagging project for Kansas State University, Predator/Prey games, and Owls and other Raptors program. The most anticipated station for the 50-plus eight year olds that day, was the hour long hike thru the deep woods at the end of the day. What would we see? Would see a live deer or maybe a wild turkey? Are there bears here?! Mountain lions?! How about a snake? In the 16 years I had students on this hike, I never got tired of seeing the look of wonder in their eyes as they experienced the woods, some for the very first time.

As the big, yellow school bus arrived at the park at about 8:30 am, one of the teachers mentioned as she got off the bus that something tragic had happened in New York, but they weren’t clear on the details yet. Then around 8:45, the Office Manager drove in and I was told that there had been a terrorist attack in New York and Washington D.C. that had claimed many lives. We had been attacked in our own country! After the initial disbelief, the reality had set in real quick that I was responsible for 50 little kids and their teachers. Not only was I responsible for their physical well-being but more importantly their emotional well-being. I wanted to talk to MY husband and two boys, as who knew if this was only the beginning of the attacks? There was no time for that, I had to make sure the parents back in Alta knew their kids were okay and find out what the Alta School Administration wanted us to do. All this was being done while maintaining a calm persona, keeping my eyes on the sky as I really didn’t know yet if the entire country was not under attack. Remember, we were in the County park with very little cover if that were to be true. Parents started to show up, upset, and wanting more to be with their kids, than to take them home.

The school sent the bus home that day from the park with the students and their teachers at 1:30 pm. I rearranged the activities for the rest of the day so the day was still as fun and educational as possible under the circumstances, and included more than 25 unexpected parents plus the 50 plus students and their teachers in this special park experience. During that day I experienced seeing the wonder in the eyes of those second graders, but I also saw the fear, the sheer relief when they saw their families, and the shock in those young eyes (and the adults) that day like I had never seen before. For myself, taking my freedom, my family, my life, and for all human life for granted…. ended that day.”

Mark Kirkholm | Assistant Dean of Student and Director of Campus Security

“I had been here for a year and a half, and when I took this position, I had already served in one career. Oh, the Director of Security? I can do that standing on my head. This was going to be an easy gig. I always came to work early, and I don’t remember why I did this, but I was walking by the information desk, and we used to have a TV there because we didn’t have TVs in Student Affairs and other locations. I was walking by the information desk when I looked up and watched the plane fly into the tower, which would have been the second one.

I remember stopping and looking at it in absolute disbelief, beyond my comprehension, but one of the primary things that I still remember to this day was that my life as the Director of Security was going to change. Forever. I knew instantly that it would create more anxiety, more unsafe feelings, and I knew, then, that my life would change because of that one event.

For the rest of the day, the University just stopped as the country did. We just sat and watched, and we found places to watch and look and just take it in. I don’t even remember there being a lot of conversation and discussion. It was more just sitting there in complete awe watching that being played over, and over, and over.”

Photos by Justice Gage