Memories of 9/11/01

I was a junior at BHS during the 2001-02 school year. I went to school that Tuesday morning and headed to my first class, Geography with Mr. Walker in room A107 in BHS. It was about 9:00 that Mr. Walker received an e-mail from P.E. teacher Mr. Banfield who told him that two planes had hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Mr. Walker turned on the TV and as I went to my second block class, Psychology with Mr. Niskanen. Since Mr. Walker and Mr. Niskanen were both Social Studies teachers it led to a major class discussion. I went to Algebra 2 with Mr. Muffley third block which included lunch in the middle. When I went to lunch, there was a big line of parents who were overreacting waiting to sign their children out of school. BJ and I made some comment about it because our moms always worried about us and they weren’t there to get us.  We knew that the targets were federal buildings, not some high school in Barberton of all places. We had our regular lesson and then watched the TV while doing homework. Mr. Fahey’s Computer 1 class was fourth block and he had us look up stuff about the attacks on the internet.  I found a “10 Most Wanted” poster on the FBI website for Usama bin Laden (as it was originally spelled), whom I never heard off prior to that day.  I read some biographical info about him and his background.

Mom picked me up from school that day since I had yet to get my license. When I got home, I remember Dad was there for some reason. Grandma Muffet had been in the hospital for the last eight days after having a major stroke; at that point we didn’t know how bad it was going to be. The next day, lessons were back to normal at BHS, but the thought of the day remained in our minds ever since.  Soon after security went up everywhere and the BHS Senior Trip to Disney World was relocated to Kings Island. Great-Aunt Mary was in her last semester of serving on the Barberton School Board and I remember she called and when I answered we were talking about 9/11. She said how putting students in an airplane at that time was just too risky.

Kenny Roda, who hosted the afternoon drive sports talk radio show on 850AM Cleveland (he currently co-host the Afternoon Drive with Michael Reghi), decided to start playing different versions of the national anthem at the end of his show.  I can remember every September 11 since then and all the ceremonial activities that occur. It is a day in infamy that we will never forget.  On the one year anniversary, BHS had a ceremony in which the fire captain and police chief attended, along with a presentation by principal Mr. Gaskill and student leaders Rachel Gore, Stephanie Jerin, Lauren Ondecker, and Lynsey Ondecker.

Labor Day Weekend 2001

Labor Day Weekend 2001

On Saturday morning, September 1, I left with my parents and Grandma Muffet to Grandma's hometown, Louisville, KY.  We arrived there later in the day and went to the motel.  We met Mom's cousin Ricky there, who had his mother (Grandma's sister) Liz in the car.  We went to Big Boy's, where we met the rest of the family.  Aunt Liz's daughter Donna, her husband Chuck, son David and Rick's wife Marilyn were all there.  Rick's son Brian, a student at the University of Louisville worked there part time.  After eating dinner, we went to Donna's house and spent some time there.  She showed us around her house.  After that we went to Rick's house and he showed us his sports room.  He was a huge Yankees and Kentucky b-ball fan. 

We went back to the hotel and the next morning we left to go to the Louisville Sluggers Museum with Rick and Brian.  After that we went back to Big Boy's, so Grandma and Aunt Liz could say bye to each other before leaving for Barberton.  We figured that this would be the last time they saw each other since Aunt Liz was beginning to get Alzheimer's and obviously the distance.  We went back to Ohio and stopped at Wendy's to buy Grandma her beloved salad.  When we pulled in the driveway at the house, Grandma didn't get out of the backseat of our newly purchased '98 Lumina (which we still have).  She was still talking, so we figured we figured she was fine and called the paramedic to carry her in the house, which seemed ok to them as well.  After not getting up all night, we called them again in the morning.  She went to Barberton Hospital where we learned she had a stroke.  

Aunt Kathy, Krissy, Nikki, Mom, and I went to the hospital and stayed there a while when we learned that the stroke left Grandma in a coma.  We were not sure if she was going to make it.  Grandma Maybin and Susie (Uncle Tom’s mom and sister) came to the hospital later.  Grandma Maybin was a retired nurse and knew things were bleak when she first saw Grandma Muffet.  Susie invited Krissy, Nikki, and I to lunch at Wendy’s, where we could relax.  They asked me about my new job at Acme, whose parking lot was next to the Wendy’s  Krissy had to go back to Cincinnati the next day for her new job at Proctor and Gamble.  She was scheduled to go on a business trip to Kansas City the morning of Sept. 11.

She began to improve the next several weeks and hoped that she would make a full recovery.  That never happened and she became worst in May 2004.  Grandma Lillian Muffet died on August 2, 2004 at the age of 79.  Great-Aunt Elizabeth Logsdon died at age 91 in December 2007.