The Houlton Pioneer Times spoke to area residents to find out where they were on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and what thoughts went through their minds.
David J. Edgar, Houlton — “I was at work over at the Registry of Deeds. The secretary there told me she had heard on the radio that a plane had struck one of the World Trade Center towers. It hit me hard, so I went home and watched the news on television until about 2 p.m. I felt terrible. I’m glad I did not have any kids in New York City at that time.”
Gina Parent, Houlton — “I was in my hair salon giving Lisa Forbush a perm. Her husband Jim called her on the telephone to tell her what happened. We both started crying. We were in a state of shock. It was the first time in my life — since the assassination of President Kennedy — that anything bad has happened that really scared me. I couldn’t understand because I was a young child. This was that same scared feeling.”
Jane Kuk, Houlton— “I was in Irasburg, Vt. where I owned a bed and breakfast. We had two guests in our house at the time and they just happened to be from New York City. They were supposed to stay for about a week, but when they found out about it, they immediately made plans to go back. We were all shocked. It grabbed our attention for sure and it made us feel ‘Oh my, what is happening? What can we do to stop it? It really made it into something much, much bigger. You really felt for the thousands of people who were involved.”
Lynn York, Houlton — “I was here in my book store when the first plane hit. It was about 8:30 in the morning. And the first thing that came to my mind was 1945 — when a B-25 bomber hit the Empire State Building in the fog. The first one, I thought it was an accident, but when the second one hit I knew. We were all listening to the radio. A friend of mine, Dr. Stein, called from New York. Then I knew something bad was happening. It was like Pearl Harbor syndrome — ‘What else are they going to do to us.’ There was a great sense of shock and foreboding about what was to come. Your mind spins off into all sorts of directions.”
Deanna Boisvert, Ludlow — “I was in my 10th grade English class in Old Town. The teachers got us together and we went to the classroom across the hall to watch it happen on television. I don’t think we fully understood the severity of the matter at that time.”
Mike Beals, Houlton — “We had just moved into our new building (located in the current Visions Gallery building). I heard it on the television. I just couldn’t believe it had happened. Now we need to end it and get them (the soldiers) home.”
Paulette Sherman, New Limerick — “I was here at work (at the Jordan Law office). Someone called the office to tell us what had happened. I was sick to my stomach.
Diane Lincoln, Houlton — “Sept. 11 is my birthday and I was at work at Hairworks Studio at the time. I was shocked. We immediately turned the TV on. We were all devastated. It was a scary, scary thing.”
