The DePaul Community on 9/11
By Rima Thompson
@RedLineProject
Posted: Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011
Barbara Schaffer worried about her then son-in-law, who was working at the
World Trade Center.
Lawrence Hamer was teaching an early morning marketing class when he learned
what happened – and couldn’t believe it.
Paula Dempsey was concerned about DePaul students from the Middle East, and
how people may retaliate against them.
And Bob Wachowski had a job to do.
Schaffer, Hamer, Dempsey and Wachowski were all part of the DePaul community
on 9/11, when both the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses were evacuated after the
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The campus was impacted in many ways -- safety, communication, concern for
family and loved ones and the loss of DePaul alum Todd Beamer, who was aboard
United 93.
DePaul community members share their memories of
9/11:
"I encourage everyone when they
happen to think about that phrase, “Let’s Roll,” to remember that it
was a call to action to do the right thing in that horrible situation.
But, I would ask people when they think about those two words, “Let’s
Roll,” that each of us make that the call to action to again do the
right thing ..." -- David Beamer on his son, Todd (left), who
has an MBA from DePaul
“As first responders, we are trained
to handle any credible threat,” Wachowski said. “Public Safety [has]
always maintained excellent relations with law enforcement. Today, we
work closely with the FBI and Homeland Security."
“I don’t know if my fears were
motivated by her leaving or of her going on the plane. At the time, I
wanted to have all my loved ones around me.”
"There is less fear when people take
the time to get to know the sameness and the differences that exist
between themselves and others. But, every now and then I find myself
looking at how close the planes fly to the
[Willis] Tower."
“When I finally accepted that the
attacks were real, my first thought was that we were near the [Willis]
Tower, and then my attention turned to this young man who was of Middle
Eastern descent. He was noticeably nervous about leaving the campus and
making it home safely."
Next story: Chicago's Pakistani
community
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