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I don't know why I was thinking about this the other day but my memory of 9/11 was that it was a beautiful fall-like day in Houston. This of course would be unusual for Houston. We usually think of the first cool fronts not coming through until the last week of September. Anyway, this led me on a search of trying to find out exactly what the weather was like on that day. I found a website that tracks historical temperatures at both Hobby Airport and IAH. Did you know on 9/11 the high temperature in Houston that day was 87 degrees. It was in fact a beautiful day. This confirmed my memory.
I remember driving to work that morning listening to AM 740. Back then we had news radio stations. I'm not sure if we still do as now I don't really listen to AM radio. The report on the radio was a plane had hit the World Trade Center. The facts were sketchy. I remember thinking it was a small plane. When I got to work I remember talking to co-workers and walking to another building on campus where the test engineers worked. They had TVs in that area and we all stood around watching what was unfolding on television. It was there when I saw the first tower collapse. I remember calling my sister (who lived with me at the time) to see if she was watching and she answered the phone crying.
The next thing I remember is one of the leaders at our work campus asked anyone who wanted to join to meet at a flagpole in front of one of the main buildings to pray. I remember going to that gathering but I don't remember who led in prayer. After that we were all released to go home.
I went home and continued watching the tragedy on TV along with my sister. At some point she left to my parent's house and I stayed home. Shortly afterwards a colleague from work drove to my house. We watched more TV and then decided to go burn some energy and we went to a nearby park to hit tennis balls. This is why I remember the beautiful weather in Houston that day. We were frustrated we couldn't do anything about what was happening in New York. It was a day filled with uncertainty. I had tickets to the Astros/Giants game that night which of course was canceled and rescheduled to October. It was noteworthy because 2001 is the year Barry Bonds broke the single season homerun record (albeit tainted by PEDs).
We all know the world changed that day. What images/feelings are etched in your memory from 9/11? Where were you when you first heard the news? Were you in Houston?
I don't know why I was thinking about this the other day but my memory of 9/11 was that it was a beautiful fall-like day in Houston. This of course would be unusual for Houston. We usually think of the first cool fronts not coming through until the last week of September. Anyway, this led me on a search of trying to find out exactly what the weather was like on that day. I found a website that tracks historical temperatures at both Hobby Airport and IAH. Did you know on 9/11 the high temperature in Houston that day was 87 degrees. It was in fact a beautiful day. This confirmed my memory.
I remember driving to work that morning listening to AM 740. Back then we had news radio stations. I'm not sure if we still do as now I don't really listen to AM radio. The report on the radio was a plane had hit the World Trade Center. The facts were sketchy. I remember thinking it was a small plane. When I got to work I remember talking to co-workers and walking to another building on campus where the test engineers worked. They had TVs in that area and we all stood around watching what was unfolding on television. It was there when I saw the first tower collapse. I remember calling my sister (who lived with me at the time) to see if she was watching and she answered the phone crying.
The next thing I remember is one of the leaders at our work campus asked anyone who wanted to join to meet at a flagpole in front of one of the main buildings to pray. I remember going to that gathering but I don't remember who led in prayer. After that we were all released to go home.
I went home and continued watching the tragedy on TV along with my sister. At some point she left to my parent's house and I stayed home. Shortly afterwards a colleague from work drove to my house. We watched more TV and then decided to go burn some energy and we went to a nearby park to hit tennis balls. This is why I remember the beautiful weather in Houston that day. We were frustrated we couldn't do anything about what was happening in New York. It was a day filled with uncertainty. I had tickets to the Astros/Giants game that night which of course was canceled and rescheduled to October. It was noteworthy because 2001 is the year Barry Bonds broke the single season homerun record (albeit tainted by PEDs).
We all know the world changed that day. What images/feelings are etched in your memory from 9/11? Where were you when you first heard the news? Were you in Houston?
I was getting ready to go to the airport that afternoon for a vacation. Needless to say, the flight was cancelled. The Today Show was on at home. I had a friend in NYC. I was hoping he would leave his place near the WTC towers because I wondered if they would fall towards his building. I didn't know they were designed to pancake. Nobody at the time seemed to have any thoughts of them collapsing.
I was in 7th grade, Lamar Jr High School in Rosenberg, making up a test in the library before school. There was a tv on in the librarian's office covering the events as they unfolded. I remember the librarian and a couple of teachers were gathered around the tv. As the day progressed, more and more information was disseminating throughout the building between teachers and students. Rumors were flying everywhere - I remember one kid saying "if there is another attack they are closing all of the schools in the US and sending everyone home."
A couple of parents picked up their kids from school early that day.
I remember watching the news that evening and a number of congressmen and women gathered in DC and sang God Bless America.
After school the next day, my brother drove us to Best Buy in Sugar Land and on 93.7 (The Arrow) they played Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" intercut with audio of people being interviewed around ground zero.
I remember a few days later, a Sunday, going with my dad to his office at One Shell Plaza and how the security had changed overnight; on the way in, driving on 59, there was an airplane in the sky, one of the first few flights around Houston after 9/11 (remember how eerie it was that the skies were empty, and how even more ominous it was to see those first few flights airborne?)
Later that year, George W. threw out the first pitch a Yankees / Diamondbacks World Series game. It was a perfect strike and chills still go down my spine thinking of it.
Last edited by NTexas2010; 09-10-2019 at 08:45 PM..
I was in the air from Tokyo to Denver..... It was in the morning and all flight path screens went dark. The crew seemed on the edge but didn't say what was going on. Finally one of the crew broke down and said there were some planes that got hijacked. Next thing I see is that the plane started to descend, way earlier than anticipated. Also there we no mountains around, just bunch of lakes. We ended up in Yellowknife Canada. Didn't find out in detail on what happened until about noon of that day. Spent 4 days there, then 3 days in Seattle, and finally came to Houston around 18th of September.
I was getting ready to leave on a business trip to New Orleans from Tyler and had just stopped in at the office to pick up something on my way to the airport. I had just dropped my kids off at school and told them I was flying to New Orleans and would be back in two days, so my kids thought I was in the air when all this went down. I realized this later.
Anyway, for some weird reason though I usually got e-tickets from our travel department, this time the airline sent me "real" tickets. So I have a real ticket from 9-11, which of course I never got to use.
So my boss came back to my office and said, "Hey, a plane just hit one of the World Trade Center buildings." So I turned on the news and yep, but I was busy getting stuff together so I didn't see the second plane hit - and suddenly my boss came RUNNING back to my office and said breathlessly, "A second plane just hit the other tower!" and I remember looking at him dumbfounded and all I could say was, "Well, I guess we are at war." By then our entire office of about 20 people were no longer working and though we had customers in the front lobby, everyone including the customers was just glued to the various TV monitors. Forget work. We were all just shocked. I remember one of my coworkers saying "Let's all pray," and we went out to the lobby and our customers prayed with us.
Then of course, all flights were cancelled and suddenly I realized that my kids thought I was in the air, so I called their schools. Later my youngest son told me that he was just certain I was dead when his teacher called him to her desk to tell him that I had called and was fine. Poor baby.
So like I said, no work was really getting done. Everything was in limbo and so at lunch I decided to go to 12 o'clock mass and pray for our country. Usually noon mass was sparsely attended but the parking lot was bursting full of people. As I got out of my car, I was next to a woman I knew and apparently she hadn't been listening to the news at all that day. She said "My goodness, what's going on?" I couldn't believe she didn't know. I said, "Two planes hit the World Trade Center, another hit the Pentagon, and another was hijacked but crashed on it's way to DC." I will never forget the look on her face - at first she thought I was kidding, then she thought I was mistaken, and then her face just crumbled and she began sobbing. At mass the mood was heartbreaking. Everyone held hands across all the aisles and everyone began praying.
After mass I stopped at a store and bought the very last US flag they had in stock. I went home and put it up on our porch. Later my daughter told me that when she got off the school bus and saw that flag, she ran to the porch, wrapped her arms around the flag, and just sobbed. I got home a little while later and my kids wanted to just drive around since we'd all been watching coverage basically non stop all day. The mood was so somber. There were American flags everywhere - everywhere. Anyone who owned a flag had it displayed - on fences, on porches, on cars, businesses, you name it. On the town square there was an impromptu gathering with flags and candles - probably 100 people or more. There were also smaller impromptu gatherings in various public places around town.
I remember that my business trip was postponed for two weeks and then I drove to New Orleans rather than flying. The entire way down there, two weeks later, the news was still full of nothing but this attack. I remember seeing so many American flags and signs that I lost count of them. I also remember crying all over again as I drove down there, because by now it was determined that around 3000 people were dead in those attacks.
I will never, never forget that day. My kids were in their teens when this happened. Three of my four kids joined the military a few years later (well, two of them and one married a guy who joined the military). Every one of them said it was because of the impact of that day. My youngest son went the opposite direction and basically became a pacifist and very anti war - also because of that day. Two of my kids decided to make the military a career. I am very proud of all of them.
9/11 really affected our family even though we were far from any of the "action." We are still feeling it's effects to this day.
My company had 3 employees that died on 9/11 at the WTC. Afterwards, a memorial was erected on campus. It is open to the public. Actually since then a large part of our campus was purchased by Lone Star College. This memorial is in the wooded area directly in front of the Lone Star College cafeteria and conference center. The memorial is a sun dial that annually marks the morning of September 11th along the Reflections Garden walk. It is an area for reflection and contemplation...very peaceful. I wonder if there are other similar memorials in Houston? Attached are some pictures from yesterday.
I was in 8th grade, and I think it was my second period teacher that told us there had been a plane crash into some building in New York. At the time it seemed like it was an accident. I can't remember if they released us early or not, but I do recall being stuck in some pretty bad traffic on the way home.
Being only 13 at the time, I don't think I fully understood just what had transpired. I didn't really have much of an emotional reaction to it. I honestly don't remember feeling scared or even very sad. Just shocked at the time, I guess, since I had never seen such an event in my lifetime. But my mother is a veteran who grew up in NYC and actually remembers the World Trade Center being built, so it was definitely a sentimental day for her.
I was at work and passed through the break area and the tv was on the news of the first strike. Myself as well as others thought it was an accident. We were literally watching the news when the second plane hit. Then reality set in. The people jumping and falling haunts me to this day.
10th grade (graduated in '03), Eisenhower HS. All throughout the day I was hearing about the WTC attack; it was discussed for a while in Houston. Never forget it. That was billed as the day of hate.
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9/11 Memorial in Houston
