2 minute read
Remembering 20 Years Later
Twenty years ago, America was changed forever by the
events of Sept. 11. Residents across the state remembered the anniversary of this fateful day by sharing personal experiences.
Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill resident Lee Lowry gave a presentation on Sept. 10, 2021, based on his experience as a resident of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, 2001. Shanksville came to international attention that day when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in adjacent Stonycreek Township. The plane hit so hard, the ground swallowed it up.
“Each of you have memories of that day,” Lee said. “… After the crash, I visited the site. I felt like I was walking into a church. I never felt that before. It went from a neighborhood I knew to a church. It had that much personal meaning to it.”
Masonic Village at Dallas residents held an outdoor 9/11 remembrance ceremony (above left), which included patriotic piano music from resident Sharon Lewis. Sharon and her husband, Dan, installed a flag pole outside their villa, and a neighbor, Maggie Sock, suggested they dedicate it with a flag raising on Sept. 11.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Masonic Village at Elizabethtown resident Mal Fuller (above right) was working as an air traffic controller and watch supervisor of the Pittsburgh International Airport’s control tower and radar room.
Following the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings and subsequent attack on the Pentagon, the FAA stopped all air traffic and forced all planes in the air to land — something Mal had never seen before in his career. A controller then yelled to him, “Mal, I need you here.”
“I could clearly tell by the sound of his voice that there was something very wrong,” Mal said.
Mal quickly learned a plane, later identified as United Flight 93, had been hijacked and most likely had a bomb on board. Based on the data from the radar screen, they assumed the Pittsburgh tower was a target. This led to an evacuation of the building. Mal was one of the last to leave; there were several people using wheelchairs, and he wanted to make sure they had gotten out.
“When I returned to the radar room, Flight 93 had either crashed or was about to crash,” he said.
Mal is a founding member of the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville and served on the organization’s board.
“The memorial is a living thing. It is designed to promote healing,” he said.
As part of his healing process — and that of the entire country — Mal has spoken at Masonic Village about his experience and tours the United States lecturing on “9/11 and the Heroes of Flight 93.”
