Docent Blog - December 23, 2014 Upon arrival at Memorial Plaza, I saw the remnants of the ceremony performed by the museum for fallen officers of the NYPD. Just so sad that these brave men and women, whose job it is to protect us, are sometimes targeted by someone suffering from his own demons. The flowers were a poignant reminder of our responsibility to each other. I also chose to meet two more children who were victims on 9/11. I found Asia Cottom and Rodney Dickens on the South Tower, panel S-70. Asia had just started 6th grade in the school where her father worked. She was selected to participate in a National Geographic Society ecology conference which focused on the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary off the coast of California. She was traveling with her teacher, Sarah Clark. Others remember Asia as a kindhearted and friendly girl who always smiled. She was a hard worker who was persistent when a lesson gave her some difficulties. On the night of 9/11, Asias mother said, My baby got her wings today. Rodney Dickens was growing up in a tough Washington, DC neighborhood. He was close to his mother and, at 11 years old, had managed to avoid much trouble. He was, consistently, an honor roll student, with an interest in reading, computer games and playing with his siblings. But, according to his aunt Cynthia Dickens, his favorite thing in the world was watching professional wrestling on television. Because he, too, excelled in his schools science fair, he was chosen to participate in the same National Geographic Society as Asia Cottom. He, too, was on Flight 77 with a teacher and people from the National Geographic Society. Please remember this young man, as well as all of the victims of 9/11. You can visit Asia and Rodney on panel S-70. As part of their pre-game activities in NYC and in preparation for the Pinstripe Game held at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 27th against Boston College, the entire football team of Penn State visited the museum today. Unfortunately for them, they were there for less than an hour. The team and their entourage of coaches, etc. were admitted early and had no guided tours arranged so there were lots of opportunities and request for information. Fortunately, we arrived early today, as well, and gladly took over a good portion of their informational tour. This was largely a group of bulky, imposing men in a group of @150 people. They were all extremely respectful, interested, polite and courteous and asked a never-ending stream of insightful questions. We spoke about Welles and his legacy and I encouraged them to watch the video prior to their game. The coaches thanked me for spending the time with these young men, offering them much useful and important information and he promised they would, in fact, watch the video. I really wish they had more time to spend in the museum. Interacting with them was a pleasure. Incidentally, they won the Pinstripe Game against Boston College on Dec. 27th. I met two young men from Nyack, former lacrosse players, who knew Welles. They had been to the Crowther home following 9/11 and were anxious to see his bandanna in the Historical Exhibit. They confirmed that Welles was a outstanding guy, even as we were growing up...everyone wanted to be his friend. Two young college girls from Connecticut were visiting today and, through conversation, I learned that they lived across the road from the University of Hartford, where I went to school. We chatted about Katharine Hepburns home on that same street and one of them confirmed that she lived next door. (I had a few adventures at that house...) These young girls were in college and, in the spring semester, were taking a class on contemporary history, which included the attacks of 9/11. They expressed a serious interest in the number of firemen who died that day and we discussed this at Ladder 3, in Center Passage. They wanted to know about all of the firefighter-related artifacts and even got teary-eyed as they heard about the fate of Paddy Brown and his men. They thanked me as they left, headed for the Historical Exhibition, hand in hand, with a dedicated mission to learn all they could. The greatest number of international visitors we have are from Australia. I am certain Ive shared that little piece of trivia before and it is still true. Today, I met no less than 5 groups from Down Under. Typically, Aussies travel for an extended period of time and take advantage of their chosen location, in this case the United States. One such group had started in Los Angeles and moved on to Nashville. From there they went to Washington, DC and then came to New York. From here, they were headed to Houston to tour that city and were then departing on a Caribbean cruise that ended their time in the US before they started their journey home, with a stop in Hawaii, of course. I met a couple of young men from Australia who were visiting the states for 3 weeks. They were headed to New England, including Boston and Bar Harbor, Maine, possibly Canada, and then returning to NYC for their journey home, with a multitude of stops in between. You have to love the Ozzies! It was a very hectic and crowded day with visitors from all over. I met a young man from New Jersey who told me he wasnt really sure he could make it through the Historical Exhibit...I told him about the exits situated throughout the exhibit just for that purpose and his response was similar to several others who had come before him. He promised me that he would do it - the first time, regardless how difficult it would be for him. He was doing it for all of those who perished. It was then that he shared with me that he had, in fact, lost a very dear friend on 9/11. He told me this was the friend he always went to when he wanted to do something last minute, something that might be a bit over the top. He laughed as he told me this, remembering some of the things they had done together. He thanked me, stared at the revolving door to the exhibit for @15 seconds and said, This ones for you, man. as he started toward the door. People from New York, Ohio, Louisiana, Greece, Italy, Brooklyn and Ireland were visiting. They were joined by people from the Philippines, Boston, a large number of people from France, and a couple of native New Yorkers who now hailed from North Carolina. There were our expected guests from Australia, as well as, North Carolina visitors who were originally from Pennsylvania, and a family from California who were visiting their family from New Hampshire. The parents, Jeff and Kendall, chose to come to NY to avoid the family drama that might occur and were looking forward to their first Christmas in the city. Their children were fascinated with the museums exhibits and with its history. The questions they asked focused on the purpose of the attack, the reasons behind the hatred for the US demonstrated by the extremists, and the personal stories of victims I could share. Their son said quietly to his mom, This is the coolest present Ill get this year, I just know it! A couple from Bordeaux told me that This museum is a magnificent place!. They had spent that past 17 years in NYC for Christmas and New Years Eve. In addition to the lights, the decorations and the revelry in the city at this time of year, they noted that You (New Yorkers) really know how to do it right!. They considered the museum the bonus for their visit this year. They had spent time in the towers and on the plaza. They had photos from the Observation Deck and from meals eaten in restaurants in the towers, as well as of views seen and enjoyed while there. They loved exploring the original plaza and the shops, revisiting some of their favorite places each of the few holiday seasons they were in NYC prior to the attacks. They were both in high spirits but heartbroken, as well, as they reminisced about New York before 9/11. Their eyes filled with tears as they spoke of the way it used to be when walking around the city when it seemed to be less stressful and people were more connected with each other, regardless of where you were from in the world. Lets hope we will see that again. Another couple from Seattle had similar thoughts and memories of NYC prior to the attacks of 9/11. They had been here many times prior to today and had witnessed Ground Zero smoking. Through their visits, they had been a part of the redevelopment of the site and the building of the museum. Through their tears, they shared their memories of seeing all of the American flags in the city as a show of support and solidarity...on cars, taxis, and buses, in business windows, flying from the construction vehicles at Ground Zero, placed in fences surrounding the site and at St. Pauls Chapel...memories that brought sadness and more tears. They wished all of this camaraderie, unity and harmony still existed. As has been done many times before, the museum was compared to the memorial at Pearl Harbor. Similar to the museum, Pearl Harbors memorial is unique in that it is located on the spot where the event of December 7. 1941 occurred 60 years earlier. 9/11 changed us...changed all of America. Today, I met my tiniest visitor, thus far. This little one was from Germany, traveling with her parents to the United States for a wedding and to meet grandparents for the first time. She was just 3 weeks old and brought tears to my eyes as I thought of all those babies born after 9/11 who never got to meet those that were victims of the attacks, including an uncle of her mothers. This precious child will only know him through the stories told to her and, one day, it will be explained just how her relative lost his life. Her name was Ada Leyna, meaning joyful, little angel...now wasnt that just perfect?!
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 03:55:08 +0000
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