In honor of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy of September 11, we are offering this Our Rich History column from September, 2106, in honor of all the fallen. We will never forget.
Close-up of the words, “It started as a beautiful day …,” Northern Kentucky 9/11 Memorial, Crescent Springs Community Park. (Photo by Paul Tenkotte)
By Paul A. Tenkotte
Special to NKyTribune
“It started as a beautiful day on the East Coast of the United States. Not a cloud in the sky. By the end of the day things had changed.”
These words are etched on the Northern Kentucky 9/11 Memorial in Crescent Springs Community Park. They summarize what many of us remember about that fateful morning fifteen years ago, September 11, 2001.
My New York City relatives and friends echo those very words when recounting that day. The sky seemed so calm and stunning. New Yorkers, walking to work, were literally looking up at the sky and taking in its beauty. Then, the calm collapsed in a sea of unimaginable and horrific destruction, as two separate planes hijacked by terrorists flew into the twin towers of the World Trade Center.
Another plane struck the Pentagon, while yet another hijacked plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In total, 2,996 people died.
Northern Kentucky 9/11 Memorial, Crescent Springs Community Park. (Photo by Paul Tenkotte)
The tragedy of 9/11 became indelibly etched upon the memories of all of us across the United States that day. We remember what we were doing when we first received the news, and we still replay in our minds—and in our hearts—the endlessly-repeating video of the falling towers. At the time, the events seemed surreal. But the painful reality rushed in very quickly.
The catastrophe came too close to home, with incredibly sad news that Brian Patrick Williams had died in his office at the World Trade Center.
Born in Covington, Kentucky in May 1972, Brian attended St. Pius Elementary School in Edgewood and Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, where he participated in varsity basketball, football, and track. After graduation, he attended Columbia University in New York City, receiving a degree in Economics.
Brian accepted a job at Cantor-Fitzgerald L.P., a financial services firm with offices located on the 101st through the 105th floors of the north tower of the World Trade Center.
At 8:46 a.m., a hijacked plane struck the north tower in the vicinity of the 94th-to-98th floors, destroying the stairways.
At 10:28 am, the north tower collapsed. Cantor-Fitzgerald lost every one of its employees in the tower that day — literally 658 people— more than any other tenant of the World Trade Center or of any entity that helped in the rescue efforts that day.
Brian Patrick WIlliams, June 2001. Courtesy of Ken and Kate Williams.
I paid my respects to the victims of 9/11 this past weekend by visiting the Northern Kentucky 9/11 Memorial at Crescent Springs Community Park. The words, “It started as a beautiful day on the East Coast of the United States” captured my attention immediately. It is an emotionally-moving monument.
Dedicated in 2015, the base is a pentagon, obviously a reference to the Pentagon which was also struck by a hijacked plane that day. The story of the separate attacks, including the heroic efforts of the hijacked passengers near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, is recounted.
An I-beam from the towers provides a central focus, as well as two vertical stones depicting the twin towers.
After walking around the memorial, I spotted a separate marker dedicated to the memory of Brian Williams.
Reflected in it were a blue sky and white clouds above, as well as the surrounding trees. I said a short prayer for the families of all of the 9/11 victims, and headed on my way. It was a strikingly beautiful day — much like that fateful day 15 years earlier.
We want to learn more about the history of your business, church, school, or organization in our region (Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky). If you would like to share your rich history with others, please contact the editor of “Our Rich History,” Paul A. Tenkotte, at tenkottep@nku.edu. Paul A. Tenkotte is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Public History at NKU.
