I was there: Monday, September 14, 2020
OSU alumni in Washington, D.C. on 9/11
option of taking the bus, and was filled with anxious and fearful emotions. Her and her husband, fellow OSU alumnus Binaya Thapa, spent the next few hours chatting with close loved ones. “I just remember being scared a lot,” Thapa said. “We made a lot of phone calls that night but phone lines were down for a really long time. We didn’t have cell phones then, we were still poor college students. The only way we really connected with friends was Hotmail messenger and we had dial up.” Thapa noted that life after this day felt a lot more heavy than usual. Security in D.C. was reached its peak and everyday life as most people knew it was different. With this happening, and Thapa’s distaste for a fast-paced city lifestyle, the couple moved back to Oklahoma shortly after. “(Washington, D.C.) just didn’t fit the same way Oklahoma did for me,” Thapa said. “I couldn’t see us living there long term. I think living in Oklahoma has made our life better. It worked out the way it was supposed to work out… We look back on OSU so fondly. Before COVID, we were season ticket holders for football games. We just loved OSU so we continued to come back.”
By Ryan Novozinsky
Oklahoma State University alumna Rebecca Thapa had finished her morning assignments early that day. She had just started working at an internet news company in Washington, D.C. and was having a typical September morning. Sept. 11, 2001. “The first thing they were reporting was that it was a random plane had just hit the World Trade Center, because no one knew,” Thapa said. “Then the second plane hit, then not long after that the Pentagon was hit. Thapa’s office was in a central location in the D.C. metro. It was just miles away from the Pentagon, which is where 189 people died that day, but much closer to the White House and the Capitol building. “There was rumors going around, and the news was reporting, that the White House was being targeted and the Capitol was being targeted,” Thapa said. “The streets were just clogged with people at around 9:30 a.m. But instead of going into D.C., they were all leaving D.C. It was bizarre, it was the weirdest thing. People were just flooding the streets, walking, driving, anything they could to get out of D.C.” Thapa said that the city continued in this state for the next couple of hours, but as time went on, the streets ended up being completely empty. “There was no one,” Thapa said. “D.C. is a city where it would take you two hours to drive 20 miles. It was constantly busy, but that day, by the end of the afternoon, nothing. You heard no noise, there
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Thapa
OSU alumni Rebecca and Binaya Thapa were living in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11, 2001.
was no traffic, all you could hear was the fighter jets in the city. It was the scariest feeling and it was like that for quite a long time after I remember… (The military presence in the city) was
scary but not, because you felt like you were protected. I mean we were more protected there Thapa went home that night, opting to take the metro instead of her usual
Stillwater Fire Chief retires By Jenny Maupin
After 36 years of service, Stillwater Fire Chief Tom Bradley announced his retirement last week, according to a Stillwater press release. Bradley began as a firefighter in 1984 and filled the position as Fire Chief in 2011. Some of Bradley’s achievements include improving diversity in the hiring process for the department, responding to the Mur-
rah Building bombing and raising Stillwater’s ISO rating. While working for the department, Bradley held positions of lieutenant, deputy fire marshal, captain and assistant chief of administration. “I have worked with the finest individuals in the world, in the greatest of all communities, providing the highest quality of fire and emergency services,” Bradley said in the press release.
“What a great place to spend your career.” As a lifelong resident of Stillwater, Bradley served in the US Army, Oklahoma National Guard, and Army Guard for 24 years. He also served as president for the Southwest Division of the International Fire Chief Chiefs Association. Bradley’s last day will be Sept. 30. He and his wife, Karla, have a daughter attending Oklahoma State
editorinchief@ocolly.com Editorial note: The O’Colly’s series called “I was there” compiles stories of various OSU alumni, faculty students and staff who were present at historical events. If you fit this category, please reach out to editorinchief@ ocolly.com
University. Bradley said he plans to spend his retirement traveling and visiting all of the presidential museums. “Tom has never been one to shine the light on himself,” said City Manager Norman McNickle. “I want to take a moment and thank him for his years of service. We’ve worked together for a long time, and I will miss having him on the team.” City of Stillwater news.ed@ocolly. Stillwater's fire chief Tom Bradley com retired last week.