Stair parts

By James E. Patterson

After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, author and TV personality Hugh Downs edited My World: What My Country Means to Me by 150 Americans from All Walks of Life.

Downs, who died in 2020 at age 99, explained the book’s purpose in his introduction.

“People might wish both to express and to hear from others how they feel about the nation in light of the jarring events of Sept. 11, 2001.”

Downs received a variety of responses from celebrities, politicians, athletes, and religious figures. Some replies were “insightful.” Some were “philosophic.” Some expressed “deep personal outrage.”

All of them, Downs wrote, had “a newborn or reawakened feeling about the country we live in.”

Many of the contributors, including poet Maya Angelou, civil rights leader Coretta Scott King, journalist Helen Thomas, and TV personality Art Linkletter, are now deceased. Each made memorable contributions to the book.

“Let us vow that Sept. 11 will only strengthen the bonds of solidarity between all of America’s races, religions, and cultures,” wrote King.

Linkletter, a professional lecturer in later life, wrote, “When I talk about our freedoms, our opportunities, and the wide horizons of life in the U.S.A., the [audience] response is like touching an electric switch.”

Angelou wrote about the courage of the first responders at the World Trade Center, who “gave us the handhold we needed to pull ourselves up.”

Grammy Award-winning singer Jose Feliciano wrote that America is

“a beacon of freedom and opportunity.” He added, “This title, however, seems not to be possible without criticism — even, at times, conflict.” These words from 20 years ago are a valuable lesson for today. Feliciano ended with another valuable lesson: “We must band together in solidarity, for as a nation, there has never been an equal, and as a people, there will never be a dilemma that we cannot overcome.” TV personality Regis Philbin, who died last year, wrote of his feelings of “sorrow, 9/11 firefighters flag memorial. doubt, and fear” after seeing the planes go into the World Trade Center. “We have survived the most savage attack on our nation in modern times and have answered it swiftly and bravely,” he wrote. “I used to wonder if we had the guts and character of our predecessors. I don’t anymore.” Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, upon visiting Ground Zero, recalled the words of President Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln dedicated a portion of the Gettysburg battlefield for use as a cemetery, he said it was the duty of the living “to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they … have thus far so nobly advanced.” Bloomberg noted that “the same spirit that guided the soldiers at Gettysburg flowed through the rescuers of Sept. 11.” Hugh Downs did a great job editing My America. In these pages, readers will find encouragement for 2021 and beyond.

9/11 memorial wall.

James E. Patterson is a writer and speaker based in Washington, D.C.

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www.50plusLIFEPA.com Flaggers, Greeters Needed for Historic Railway

RSVP – York County is seeking volunteers 55 and over for Northern

Central “Railway in New Freedom.

Flaggers and greeters are needed at the historic attraction, which includes a replica 1860s steam locomotive and a GP9 diesel engine.

Volunteer benefits include: mileage reimbursement, free supplemental liability The historic insurance, recognition attraction includes a and replica 1860s steam appreciation events, and locomotive and a assistance with ” clearances. For more information, contact Scott Hunsinger at (717) GP9 diesel engine. 893-8474 or yorkrsvp@rsvpcapreg.