GOVERNMENT/POLITICS A4-5 | OUR COLUMNISTS A6 | YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS A9 | HEALTH & LIFESTYLES SECTION B
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VOL. 5, NO. 36
SEPTEMBER 5, 2011
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At home Bill Cogdill didn’t want to move, but he’s finding friends at NHC Farragut. See page B-3
Farewell, Moms 101 Shannon Carey ends her run as our columnist for Moms 101. She’s afraid her kid will find out what she’s been writing! See column on page A-9
West Knoxville resident Tammy Doyle holds a copy of a Family Circle article Matthews United Church in Lewisporte became an emergency shelter followabout the 6,000 people, including her, who were hosted by the people of New- ing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S. Photo submitted foundland on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Wendy Smith
Wendy Smith
An unexpected layover
is all about food this week. “I didn’t plan it ...” she says. See story on page A-2
FEATURED COLUMNIST JAKE MABE
Ten years ago … Jake Mabe recalls his first trip to New York, 10 days before 9/11, and visiting Ground Zero five months later. See page A-6
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By Wendy Smith
Most remember Sept. 11, 2001, as a day filled with shock and horror, a day when evil left an indelible mark on our country. But the coming days were proof that the very worst circumstances can sometimes bring out the very best in people. West Knoxville resident Tammy Doyle received a generous dose of kindness on that fateful day. She is now a nursing supervisor at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, but in 2001, she was a U.S. Air Force major stationed in Bitburg, Germany. On Sept. 11, she was on a jumbo jet with three colleagues, bound for a meeting in Atlanta, Ga. The plane was over the Altantic when the pilot announced that an indicator light had come on, necessitating an emergency landing in Gander, Newfoundland. When the
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By the time they filed into Gander International Airport, it was full of food, toiletries, even medications – anything they could possibly need, says Doyle. Along with passengers from three other flights, they were bused 40 miles north to a small fishing town called Lewisporte, where residents were waiting with open arms. Doyle and her fellow passengers were taken to St. Matthews United Church, where beds had been made up for them in the sanctuary. Food and necessities were provided in abundance, along with a television that would give passengers their first glimpse of the U.S. tragedy. “It’s not really real until you see it,” she recalls. In spite of the circumstances, the layover was surprisingly festive. Passengers and residents mingled around town, and flight numbers and pilots’ excuses for landing were swapped. A small bar offered karaoke and line dancing, and passengers shopped for changes of clothes. The generosity of the residents,
Burchett gets a ‘solid C’
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plane landed, he admitted that the flight was actually diverted due to an emergency in the U.S. Passengers were informed that two planes had crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, and one had crashed into the Pentagon. Delta Flight 15 was the 37th of 38 jets to land in Gander that day. The tiny town of 10,000 was suddenly host to 6,595 guests – with no itinerary. Passengers were kept on planes while an emergency plan was executed. They were told that only one meal would be served, and instructed to keep aircraft doors and windows closed. Contacting family in Germany on the plane’s international phones was difficult, but calling the U.S. was easier. Doyle got in touch with her parents in Monterey, Tenn., and asked them to call her husband and young sons in Bitburg. Her father told her the fate of a fourth plane that had crashed in a Pennsylvania field. Flight 15 passengers were deplaned, with no luggage, after being on board for more than 28 hours.
By Larry Van Guilder Just as the new school year begins, County Mayor Tim Burchett celebrates his first year in office. What “marks” has the mayor earned since last September? Geography: Burchett may be the most peripatetic mayor in Knox County history. His community conferences regularly take him around the county on listening tours. He has been criticized for sometimes forgetting that the city of Knoxville is part of the county, at least during budget preparation, and some would say he’s more familiar with Carter than Farragut. But those are largely political issues rather than intellectual shortcomings. C+ Math: A good teacher is essential to excelling in this subject. John Troyer is a first rate financial guru, and Troyer guided the mayor through an inaugural budget that included a plan to shave the coun-
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Mike Ragsdale engineered for three departing senior staff members. That faux pas hurt Burchett’s credibility out of the gate and lowers his grade to a C. Civics: This is a tough one. The mayor’s stand on Carter Elementary School is not one you would expect a veteran politician to take. Investing loads of political capital in a project to help one community when other parts of the county need help could come back to haunt the mayor in a few years. But Burchett will tell you he has Tim Burchett File Photo a soft spot for the underdog, and while that may not be characteristic ty’s debt by $100 million over five of an ambitious politician, it isn’t a years. Give the mayor a B. trait to be scorned. BCommunication Skills: The It’s only fair to ask the mayor for mayor excels in one-on-one situa- his take on his first year in office. tions. He’s personable and given to We posed several questions. plain talk. Q: Would you do anything differEarly on there was some serious ently? miscommunication about the sevA: “I never even think about stuff erance package deal former Mayor that way. … Lots of times it’s not
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who welcomed visitors into their homes to use showers, impressed the travelers. When Doyle took a midnight stroll to the church’s restroom, she was surprised to see a local woman who had served dinner. Doyle asked when she planned to go home. “I’m not leaving this place until you do,” she replied. It took three days for the jets to receive clearance to depart from Gander. It was hard for Delta staff to keep the passengers of Flight 15 in their seats during the trip to Atlanta, given the close relationships that had formed in Newfoundland. Another gesture of goodwill occurred during the flight. Passengers made pledges totaling $20,000 for scholarships for students in Lewisporte, and another $20,000 was raised after the travelers got home. It was an act of appreciation for a community that gave its best to total strangers. “Their hospitality was amazing, especially because they sustained it for so long,” Doyle says. “They were there for us the entire time.”
how you start but how you finish.” Q: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned since taking office? A: “I really didn’t have that many surprises.” Burchett added he had to be careful not to get too insulated from his constituents. Q: What’s been your greatest challenge? A: “This Carter thing has been a real challenge. … We’ve had so many roadblocks. … But I don’t have time to sit and feel sorry for myself.” Q; What’s the most enjoyable aspect of the job? A: “I enjoy just getting out and meeting folks. (When you’re talking to someone) right then, that’s the most important thing in that person’s life.” Burchett gave himself a “solid C” for his first year in office and said he tries to do “a little better every day.” He said he spends time every morning in his office thinking and praying about the work ahead. Despite the challenges, he confesses his life could be worse: “Nearly every day is gravy on allbiscuit wheels.”