OT (Please indulge me): Why I Collect...

gavman · 08-30-2003, 12:46 PM

Originally posted on Airline Buzz

Quote:

Thanks for creating this particular forum. I was thinking of posting something on DA.C, but I was concerned with possibly getting some very juvenile responses, for as you'll see...

As a matter of fact, I do know what it's like to be inside a skyscraper when it gets hit by a jetliner...

The long story short: I was on the 44th floor Skylobby of the South Tower of the World Trade Center when the United Airlines flight hit my building.

I hope to post more extensive, personal reflections on this event at a later date. In the meantime, here are links to stories that have been posted about me:

Graziadio School MBA Grads Escape Terrorist Attack on WTC
http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/media/011030_01.html

Tragic Experience Sends Pharmacist Back to His Profession
http://ashp.org/news/showArticle.cfm...706571&id=2689

Faith in unity
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/s...-5372619c.html

Oh, and the reason that I started collecting diecast aircraft models...

Well, I wanted to have something tangible to help me remember. So, my first 1:400 scale models were American and United 767s and 757s. Soon I was buying more American and United models, Air Force One and Two, and Space Shuttles. Plus, I'm a sucker for the Southwest and America West State Theme Planes. I've also bought quite a few 1:72 scale fighter jets.

More to come...

gavman · 08-30-2003, 12:53 PM

This is the original text to the story that was edited for posting as "Graziadio School MBA Grads Escape Terrorist Attack on WTC." It was written as an e-mail comment to www.heroicstories.com (which is a twice-weekly e-mail newsletter of inspirational stories that I highly recommend) on Thursday, September 20, 2001.

Quote:

Worse things have happened to me

Every survivor of the World Trade Center Attack has a different story.

I was part of a Morgan Stanley training class of 280-plus students on the 61st floor of Tower 2 of the WTC. Coming out of the restroom, the fire alarm was ringing and these women walked by saying that we had to leave. Not knowing what was going on, I followed them down the stairs to the 44th floor thinking that it was a fire drill. We started milling about on the 44th floor when building security made the infamous announcement (and I’m paraphrasing here): “A plane has struck Tower 1…as far as we know, Tower 2 is secure…at your discretion, you may continue to evacuate the building, remain where you are, or return to your suite.”

While standing by the bank of elevators that went back up, I contemplated with two of my fellow trainees whether or not we should return to the 61st floor. Soon afterwards, the building rocked back, accompanied by a fireball and a cloud of smoke at the far end of the lobby of express elevators going down to the lobby. As the crowd screamed and ran forward, I struggled to stay upright. Thankfully, security was able to calm us down so that we could proceed from the 44th floor to ground level.

Going down the stairwell, I tried to offer assurance to others that we would get out safely as we passed by spilled coffee cups and abandoned high heel shoes. When I smelled smoke, I tried to cover my mouth and felt doors to make sure that they weren’t hot to the touch. I felt better when fresh air came up the stairwell, except that there was so much air flowing past us. I wasn’t able to see much of the debris filling the courtyard between the two towers because I was concerned about getting out and away from the area.

Still accompanied by my two classmates, we would occasionally turn to look back, but we kept pressing forward in order to get away. When we were in Chinatown, I noticed that a street light had been broken and wondered if a piece of shrapnel had flown all of that way from the towers. By that time, we were far enough away that we couldn’t see the towers, but we did see the cloud of smoke that we would later learn was Tower 2 collapsing.

I don’t think that I felt like I could have died until I was safely back at a hotel and started to watch the horrifying television footage. Seeing as how a good number of the trainees were from out of town, we had to undergo our own form of purgatory, trying to figure out when we could go home again. From Tuesday to Friday, I tried to divert my attention by helping the classmate who was seated next to me in the classroom.

It turns out that she had left behind her purse, so when the towers went down, she lost, among other things, her ID, money, credit cards, and cellphone. Having been told that airport security would be heightened, with government-issued ID mandatory, I rode with her in a taxi to another Morgan Stanley location to obtain a company photo ID and a document that could be presented to the Chinese Consulate in New York to obtain a travel document, seeing as how she was a U.S. Permanent Resident.

By Friday, many of my classmates had already left New York. Our company arranged to have buses to take those of us willing to travel cross-country that Saturday. On the three-day bus trip, I continued to watch out for my classmate, including buying her a pillow and blanket to make sleeping in the bus seats a little more comfortable. By Monday, there was something of a mutiny on the bus. Having had enough of the bus, those of us going towards Southern California rented cars in Reno, NV, so that we would be able to get home sooner than if we had remained on the bus as it continued on towards Sacramento and San Francisco.

I’ve been home for a few days with loved ones, but I still get teary-eyed. I drive around and find that I’m gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than usual. I think that it is too early for me to know if this event will act as a super-heated fire, burning away at my core, perhaps leading to my own eventual collapse.

Along with a certain sense of urgency in trying to replace some of the things that I lost in the rubble, including a cellphone, umbrella, chap stick (God, my lips feel dry all of the time), I find myself victimized by the cliché that “Life is too short.” Then again, I feel like people shouldn’t have to feel too sorry for making little mistakes. This afternoon, I stopped at a Taco Bell for lunch. The woman behind the counter started to apologize for packing my order to take out, instead of placing it on a tray for me to eat it there at the restaurant. I told her, “Hey, I’ve had worse things happen to me.”

The attached photo is of the revolt in Reno. Sherry, the classmate that I was helping out and a fellow Pepperdine MBA, is second from the left. Our three bus drivers are fourth from the left, first on the right, and fifth from the right. I am third from the right.

- Gavin

gavman · 08-30-2003, 12:56 PM

Clockwise from upper left:

1) Temporary Morgan Stanley photo ID

2) South Tower Elevator Pass allowing access to the 61st floor; the expiration date of "09/27/01" would have been the end of the training period.

3) I would leave New York with monetary value still on my MetroCard.

4) Ticket to the South Tower Observatories dated Sunday, September 9, 2001

5) My Morgan Stanley Cafeteria (on the 45th floor) Frequent Luncheon Card would only get punched out for Monday, September 10, 2001.

- Gavin

gavman · 08-30-2003, 12:57 PM

The radio antenna on the North Tower of the WTC as seen from the rooftop of the South Tower on Sunday, September 9, 2001

gavman · 08-30-2003, 12:59 PM

Warning sign from the rooftop of the South Tower of the WTC

gavman · 08-30-2003, 01:00 PM

Another warning sign from the rooftop of the South Tower of the WTC

Yukon 880 · 09-02-2003, 11:18 PM

Gavin,

I started collecting diecast models just a few years ago when GJ released the Delta 747-132, still the favorite model in my collection. Though you started your collection under different circumstances, I would imagine that collecting does bring you a particular satisfaction, not unlike a lot of us here on this forum.

Thank you for sharing your story. It reminds me of what is important and the trivial things that are really of no consequence.

Don

gavman · 09-06-2003, 05:02 PM

Thankfully, this sculpture is NOT tacky, and actually quite respectfully done.

gavman · 09-06-2003, 05:04 PM

Facing West

gavman · 09-06-2003, 05:05 PM

Facing East

gavman · 09-06-2003, 05:07 PM

Courtyard and Inscription

Quote:

September 11, 2001

"We will not waver; we will not tire; we will not falter; and we will not fail. Peace and freedom will prevail."

President George W. Bush

gavman · 09-06-2003, 05:11 PM

From left to right:
[list=1][*]California for my home state[*]New York for the World Trade Center[*]Virginia for the Pentagon which is technically in Arlington[*]Pennsylvania for Shanksville[*]The District of Columbia[*]Old Glory[*]U.S. Army[*]U.S. Navy[*]U.S. Marine Corps[*]U.S. Air Force[*]U.S. Coast Guard[/list=1]

gavman · 09-06-2003, 05:15 PM

The address of the South Tower: 2 World Trade Center.

08-30-2003, 12:56 PM	#3
gavman Senior Collector Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 362	Artifacts Clockwise from upper left: 1) Temporary Morgan Stanley photo ID 2) South Tower Elevator Pass allowing access to the 61st floor; the expiration date of "09/27/01" would have been the end of the training period. 3) I would leave New York with monetary value still on my MetroCard. 4) Ticket to the South Tower Observatories dated Sunday, September 9, 2001 5) My Morgan Stanley Cafeteria (on the 45th floor) Frequent Luncheon Card would only get punched out for Monday, September 10, 2001. - Gavin

08-30-2003, 12:57 PM	#4
gavman Senior Collector Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 362	North Tower Radio Antenna The radio antenna on the North Tower of the WTC as seen from the rooftop of the South Tower on Sunday, September 9, 2001

08-30-2003, 12:59 PM	#5
gavman Senior Collector Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 362	Warning Sign #1 Warning sign from the rooftop of the South Tower of the WTC

08-30-2003, 01:00 PM	#6
gavman Senior Collector Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 362	Warning Sign #2 Another warning sign from the rooftop of the South Tower of the WTC

09-02-2003, 11:18 PM	#7
Yukon 880 Clipper Speedy Kitty Join Date: May 2003 Location: Anchorage, The Great State of Alaska Posts: 773	Thanks for sharing... Gavin, I started collecting diecast models just a few years ago when GJ released the Delta 747-132, still the favorite model in my collection. Though you started your collection under different circumstances, I would imagine that collecting does bring you a particular satisfaction, not unlike a lot of us here on this forum. Thank you for sharing your story. It reminds me of what is important and the trivial things that are really of no consequence. Don

09-06-2003, 05:02 PM	#8
gavman Senior Collector Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 362	The Danbury Mint Twin Towers Sculpture Thankfully, this sculpture is NOT tacky, and actually quite respectfully done.

09-06-2003, 05:04 PM	#9
gavman Senior Collector Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 362	Facing West

09-06-2003, 05:05 PM	#10
gavman Senior Collector Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 362	Facing East

09-06-2003, 05:11 PM	#12
gavman Senior Collector Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 362	My September 11th Flags From left to right: [list=1][]California for my home state[]New York for the World Trade Center[]Virginia for the Pentagon which is technically in Arlington[]Pennsylvania for Shanksville[]The District of Columbia[]Old Glory[]U.S. Army[]U.S. Navy[]U.S. Marine Corps[]U.S. Air Force[*]U.S. Coast Guard[/list=1]

09-06-2003, 05:15 PM	#13
gavman Senior Collector Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 362	My License Plate The address of the South Tower: 2 World Trade Center.

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