Special Page of Hope and Remembrance Following the tragic events of September 11th, President Ricardo Fernández invited Lehman alumni and friends to share information, condolences and words of hope with students, faculty and staff. This page of remembrances, prayers, and reflections joins the Lehman community together in a circle of concern and compassion as we honor those the College has lost and also those in the armed forces who are protecting our nation at home and abroad. The following excerpts represent both personal memories and individual expressions of support, as well as the beginning of a collective history of this eventful period.   I was in Montreal on business. It was amazing to see the outpouring of empathy and outrage. Many said they felt it had happened not only to us but to them, as well. I am happy to be home. All my loved ones are safe but, of course, not untouched. Be safe and well. Peace to all in the New Year. Claudia Pietrangeli Imp '86 All of my colleagues at the National Development and Research Institutes successfully vacated the entire 16th floor of the World Trade Center without a casualty. Dr. Nwaghese (an adjunct professor in the Sociology Department) was conducting a research project housed on that floor. As for myself, I was not scheduled to report to headquarters that day and was working out of the Bronx storefront. A lot of research data and personal possessions were lost. At least two other individuals who also graduated from Lehman work for NDRI, but unfortunately I do not know their names. What is important is that they were all spared. I pray that you may be strong and find solace in knowing that united we can all move forward. God bless you all. Robert Carmona '00 "I continue to pray for America and our City leaders. The towers may have fallen but I have faith in God who is more powerful than any enemy." Tonia Levy '94 "My condolences to everyone I have known through Lehman College who may have lost someone." Lennon Thomas '99   "I took part in the relief efforts as a member of the National Guard. My unit, the 107th Command Support Group, is based at the armory at Park Ave and 67th Street. My comrades and I worked 12-hour shifts for almost two weeks. I spent my time manning the phones mostly and getting messages to various officers who werecoordinating with the police department and other relief units. I hope to hear more regarding the status of our alumni and I hope there will be some comfort in knowing that we're in this together. Thanks again for helping to create a family of the Lehman community and my thanks to the College president as well. David George, M.A. '93 Lehman alumnus Steve Rolston worked on the 53rd floor of Tower Two of the World Trade Center. He writes: The outpouring of emotion following the disaster on Tuesday, 9/11 has been humbling and is deeply appreciated. "Surreal" is a word used many times to describe what we witnessed. Many have asked what happened. While my story is not as harrowing as others and every person has been touched deeply by their own experience, I hope you don't mind if I share my version. I took care of saving myself, then made sure my father got out of the area with me. On Wednesday and Thursday, most of the tears came. That's not entirely true. I was moved to tears Tuesday as I hurried toward Broadway about 9:05 while Tower One was in flames. I was moved again to tears when I met a co-worker on Broadway, then when I reached my father's office, then each time I made telephone contact first with my sister-in-law Pat, then my sister Eileen, and finally my wife, Patty. Some friends have been angry about the attack. All of my friends and family shared the feeling of near helpless vulnerability. Below is a reaction I wrote on September 13 while I was home emotionally recovering as my company, Guy Carpenter, finds a new home. It is a reaction ... of fear, anger, and pride similar to the emotions that many have expressed. I stand by my desire for a peaceful resolution. I grew up a fighter and not a good one. I was blessed to meet enough good people later in my life to learn that I did not want to be a fighter and, even better, I did not have to be. While it is important to be strong, war is a last resort, not an early response. Here's a little bit of my story of Tuesday, September 11. At 8:35 am, I paused before entering the elevator. Brothers Ken, Mark, and I were to have lunch at noon with my father, Phil. I thought, "Let me get some cash now and a shoe shine, since I wouldn't have time before lunch." As I was having my shoes shined in the shopping concourse of the WTC, we felt the building shudder and the lights flickered off, then back on. We heard the thunder of a stampede in the lobby, then screams. To escape, I had to choose between being showered with debris or going through thick smoke. I chose the debris, covered my head and ran to Liberty Street between Church and Broadway. There I turned to see where the debris was coming from and we first learned a plane had hit the tower. I tried to watch but debris was falling on me. No phones available to tell anyone I was okay. I walked to my father's officeon Water Street to let him know I was okay. I met a co-worker on Broadway. She was in tears, and then so was I. Walking east on John past William Street, I heard a big sound, then saw that huge fireball rise over John Street as the second plane hit. I didn't know it was a second plane, just thought it was more from the first fire - as my view of Tower Two was blocked. By 9:10, I was in the "safety" of my father's 21st floor office in Seaport Plaza. Phones lines were jammed. I couldn't reach my wife Patty. I finally reached Ken at 9:20. My sister-in-law reached Patty at work finally - at 9:35. At 10 we saw that tremendous ball of smoke, grit, and asbestos rumble across John Street after the collapse of my building, Tower Two. I later learned that two co-workerswere in the John Street stampede vainly trying to run ahead of the toxic cloud. Both thought they were going to die from the debris. I later learned Patty's good friend Laura, watching from the Citibank tower, fell to her knees when that second plane hit. She knew I worked where the fireball came through the building. ... When I saw the videotape later, I was stunned. At 10:05, my father and I decided no place in the financial district was safe. We began the long trek uptown. We grabbed a water bottle, walked down 21 stories, and held handkerchiefs over our faces for six blocks until we were north of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was only then I discovered that my building was gone. More brief tears of shock and the beginning of outrage. ...Met a business associate who saw two colleagues from my floor on the street. If they made it, my whole department was probably safe. We began to see the gray encrusted walking victims, some bleeding, all silent, as that tremendous ball...rolled through the canyons of the financial district after my tower collapsed. New York City came together as all good people do. My father and I walked through Chinatown into SoHo. Along the way, people offered cups of water, police academy students assisted in traffic control. ...We had already decided we would stay together and we aimed for Grand Central Station to get to Ken's house. We headed for Ray Rankis's office. I've known him since we were 16. He's varsity basketball coach at Baruch at 23rd and Lex. If he's in town, we'll hitch a ride to Ken's house. Ray was home. His secretary allowed us to make calls to update the family. It was now 11 and Tower One had collapsed. Patty needed to be assured we were safely away from the area. Again, I could not reach her directly but Pat could. Pat and Ken's home had become central command for our family. I also called Ray so he could let the Lancers (my old Lehman College friends) know I was okay. As our trek continued we noticed the eerily silent streets of midtown. We approached Grand Central. No train service yet, so we went to Rossini's on 38th near Park Ave. One chef made it in. ... Trains began running by 1:30 and by 2:30, we were at Ken's house, emotionally exhausted. Nearly five full days later, the WTC is still smoldering. Our odyssey was easy compared to those suffering in and around the inferno we left behind. I am working in our parent company headquarters at 1166 Avenue of the Americas, between 45th and 46th on the 5th floor. ...Guy Carpenter's 700 employees in Tower Two survived, 15 in Tower One apparently did not. Marsh Inc., our parent company, had about 1665 employees on floors 93 to about 99 in Tower One. Approximately 315 are still not accounted for. When will life be normal for any of us? How many businesses will fail? Would you work above the 50th floor? Will they rebuild the World Trade Center? No! It is unfair to ask firemen and police to go any higher. Perhaps we should cap all future construction at 50 stories. We have been attacked in our own home. Why do I not feel warlike? ... I do agree we need a military, just as society needs police. Can the military investigate and prosecute this awful crime with the offered assistance of so many diverse countries? I hope so. No one wins a war. The most awful crimes do not give police license to destroy a criminal's street or town. The destruction of the World Trade Center does not give us license to turn a country into a parking lot. Let's demand that Bin Laden and his people be brought before us. ...Our hands are not clean on this. ... WFUV-FM has been a friend this week in the healing. Thursday morning, Claudia Marshall played "Peace Train" not by the writer Cat Stevens, but a version I never heard. A heartfelt, more articulate version by, of all people, Dolly Parton. The lyrics work, as many songs they played this week have, and it is my hope that the United States can continue to be a beacon for the world and avoid ... going to war....What happened Tuesday was a desperate act that I would like to try to understand. Thank you for indulging me as we look to a better day. Time is a great healer. It is hard to just quietly absorb what happened, rest up, then simply go back to work. It has been a life-changing event for each of us. I hope my politics do not offend. I felt the need to write, particularly to those who I have not yet been able to speak with for any length of time. Thank you for your calls, e-mails, letters - and Eileen, thanks for the shirt with the bicycle rider and the written words, "life is good." Yes, it is. May I also commend everyone to read: - "Blowback" by Chalmers Johnson in the October 15, 2001 edition of The Nation. Go to: thenation.com. - "There No Glory in an Unjust War" by Barbara Kingsolver in an October 23rd edition of the Los Angeles Times -- latimes.com. - Essay by Susan Sontag in September 24, 2001 New Yorker, Talk of the Town. - "The Dead Of September 11" by Toni Morrison, closing page of November 2001 supplement in Vanity Fair magazine. All brave writing. Thank you for your concern for the Lehman community. Take care. Steve Rolston '74 The World Trade Center tragedy hit close to home. I used to work directly across the street on Cortlandt Street. I would like to send my condolences to the families of the victims of the World Trade Center and Flights 11 and 175, and say thank you to all the rescue workers, the NYPD, NYFD, NY/NJ Port Authority, and everyone in the U.S.A. for their love, support and kindness. I would also like to thank Lehman College for your concern about me. It means a lot to me that Alumni Affairs and President Fernandez took the time to see how the alumni are doing. God bless America! Linda Delgado '96 My mother, Barbara Weber, finished her master's degree in nursing in 1998 while working fulltime, caring for her family, and fighting cancer. In 1996 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and she died last November at the age of 48. Lehman is creating a website to honor the people who died as a result of the September 11th events. I would like to be allowed to share my mother's story as well. She loved going to Lehman. She had a great experience and made many new friends. Stephanie Weber Thank you for your post card. I do not know of anyone from Lehman who was at the World Trade Center, and I am fine. Elizabeth Eileen Gillen Surcouf '76 I graduated from Lehman with a B.S. in Computing and Management and am currently a manager of revenue assurance with PT-1 Communciations, a dial-around/long-distance company. I would like to take this opportunity to say that no one close to me was hurt during the disaster that struck our great city and nation. However, I am deeply hurt by all that has happened. I grew up watching the Twin Towers from my 4th floor apartment building. Now there is only sky. All those lives, all those souls that fell with those walls, ceilings and floors. Such a tragedy! My condolences for any and all lost on that terrible day and their families. My husband, Franklin, and I met at Lehman College in 1993 and we are very happy together. Thank you for your concern and I pray that all are safe and keep safe. My regards to Debbie, Gloria, John, Betty and Josephine and all the staff in the Registrar's office where I had the honor of working. God bless us all. Yadira Filpo '97   << BACK