Personal Reflections

(Oct. 8, 2001)I was riding in a car with my twin brother and his wife when we first heard that September 11 morning radio news flash that a plane had struck one of the Twin World Trade Center Towers in New York City. Moments later the three of us heard a live radio interview with a New York City resident who described in vivid details the witnessing of the second Twin Tower being hit by another commercial jetliner.

Later that morning, my twin and I joined our co-workers in stunned silence around an office television, first watching the flames and smoke of the building's fires and then seeing the horrible moments when each weakened Twin Tower pancaked down to the ground.

A month after these horrific events, I wanted to reflect on what these buildings meant to me personally and to help keep the memories alive of some of the victims of this horrible act of terrorism. As initial confusion by our nation and world over the accidents first spread to fear than to anger than to strengthened resolve, I find myself recalling my personal memories of seeing and visiting the Twin Towers. And as I jot down my thoughts on the buildings, I realize that many of my personal experiences also involve my family, which for me mostly means my twin, my wife and her twin, and now my twin sons.

As I learn more about some of the victims of the building's collapses, I find myself paying particular attention to the men and women who shared the same bond that I have-of being a twin or the parent of multiples. As one young twin (a girl in Connecticut of about 9 or 10) remarked in an interview I read, "I felt bad because I'm a twin just like the buildings were. And I don't know what I would do if I lost my twin."

So while all the stories of loss and heroism are significant, I find myself thinking about heroes such as the twin firefighters who were at Ground Zero at the time of the building's collapses with one perishing and one surviving. I think about the moms and dads of young twins and triplets who died in the fire or building collapses. I mourn for the adult men and women who leave behind their twins with some of these victims just having time enough to say goodbye to their twins before phone lines went dead.

And I think of the buildings themselves, forever entwined with each other as both physical and even emotional monuments. Twin structures that were both built and fell together. Identical twins from birth to death.

Personal Memories

One of the most lasting family memories my twin brother and I share is a special evening out in New York City when we probably about 11 or 12 years old. The youngest of seven children, the two of us joined our mom and oldest brother to celebrate some now-forgotten achievement with a trip to Manhattan to see a Broadway show and a pre-show dinner at the newly-opened Windows on the World Restaurant at the World Trade Center.

It must have been about 1975 or 1976 when we had this family night out. I don't recall the date or too many specific details, but do remember the ride up the express elevator to the top of what was then one of the tallest buildings in the world. Every table in the restaurant had an amazing view overlooking New York City and New Jersey. I couldn't tell you what I had for dinner, but do remember thinking at the time that it was probably the most expensive meal our family had ever bought.

I always enjoyed seeing the Twin Towers together. Maybe it was the fact that I shared something in common with the structures-we were both twins, destined to spend our lives intertwined with our mirror-image clones. Still, I'd have to say that my twin and I took the buildings for granted living in the Bronx until moving to California when we were 13. When I moved back to New York in the early 1990's to take a job with the New York Mets, I would occasionally take notice of the buildings on a clear day, amazed that I could see the tower tops miles away out on Long Island, but for the most part they would stand as overlooked dual bookends for one of the world's most impressive skylines.

Of the hundreds of times I probably saw the buildings during my second residency in New York, I really just recall paying attention to the towers one day. That fateful afternoon in February, 1993 when I first noticed smoke rising from near downtown when returning in my car to Shea Stadium after lunch. Turning on the television back in my office, I learned of the horrible bombing at the towers and breathed a sigh of relief that the terrorists' attempt at destroying the buildings hadn't fully succeeded.

A third memory of the buildings is etched in my mind when my family went to The Big Apple for a vacation in the summer of 2000 at a time when my wife was making her first-ever trip to New York. We didn't actually go to the World Trade Center that trip but did go to another lower Manhattan landmark, the Statue of Liberty. It was a cloudy day, but as we climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty the cloud cover broke long enough to provide us a view of the tops of the Twin Towers, two needles piercing their way towards the heavens. It was a special moment that I was able to share with the woman I love.

Besides affecting me and my immediate family of twins, the events of September 11 personally affected several of my other brothers and sisters as well. One of our brothers, a radio reporter for a CBS affiliate in San Francisco, spent two weeks at Ground Zero filing reports and talking to families of victims. Another brother lives in Queens with his daughters and emailed us to let us know that the Twin Towers were no longer visible from his apartment window. His two daughters, motherless since the loss of their mom to Cancer five years ago, wrote a touching letter to the editor of the New York Times that offered advice for the children who lost parents in the tragedy, and were also interviewed by ABC's Prime Time Live on the same subject. And a sister who lives in Westchester County was perhaps having the most difficult time coping with the tragedy. The mother of four, her children were adjusting to the events well enough, but she found herself troubled by the societal changes we all now faced.

My brother and I were scheduled to make a business trip to New York City the week following September 11 and we did continue our travels as planned. Our company, Avatar Technology, has an office six blocks from the Twin Towers and we were in these offices on September 20. That rainy afternoon my twin brother and I walked up Broadway to within two blocks of Ground Zero (the below photo was taken by Mark near the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street).

As my twin and I neared the sites of the former Twin Towers, we quietly joined the other passers-by who were all now brothers and sisters in the somber atmosphere that covered New York City. Just as when you pay last respects to a loved one at a funeral, there wasn't much you could say or do.

We paid our collective silent tribute to the fallen buildings and moved on. Goodbye Twin Towers, we will miss you. Personal Legacy

We'd like to honor those victims of the hijackings who were either twins or parents of multiples. Our condolences to the families of the following victims and heroes:

Updated List (information known as of Sept. 11, 2005; victim's lists compiled from news web sites)

Passenger on American Airlines Flight 11, Boston to L.A., Crashed into World Trade Center Mary Alice Wahlstrom, 75, Kaysville, UT, Grandmother to twins Carolyn Beug, 48, Los Angeles, CA, Mother to twins Passenger on United Airlines Flight 175, Boston to L.A., Crashed into World Trade Center Mark Bavis, 31, West Newton, MA, Twin brother of Mike Passenger on American Airlines Flight 77, Washington to L.A., Crashed into Pentagon Todd Reuben (above), 40, Potomac, MD, Father of twin sons, Jeffrey and Jason Passenger on United Flight 93, Newark to SF, Crashed in Pennsylvania Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. (below), 38, Father of 3, including Twin Daughters, Halley and Madison Link to Burnett Foundation Victims at World Trade Center William Bernstein, 44, Cantor Fitzgerald, Twin brother of Bob Jeffrey Bittner, 27, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods , Twin brother of Pamela Kevin Bowser, 45, Marsh McClellan, Was Identical Twin John Burnside, 36, NYC Firefighter, Twin brother of Robert Leonard Castrianno, 30, Cantor Fitzgerald, Twin brother of Leigh Macadlo Elaine Cillo, 40, Marsh Technolgy & Info., Twin sister of Lynn Brenda Conway, 40, Marsh McClellan, Twin sister of Linda McGee (profiled in book - Indivisible by Two by Nancy Segal) John Dallara, 47, Twin brother of Daniel Andre Fletcher, 37, NYC Firefighter, Twin brother of Zachary The Fletcher Twins' Story Donald Gavagan, Jr., 35, Cantor Fitzgerald, Father of two-year-old Twins, Lara & Donald, and son, Connor, born Oct. 23 Juan Gomez, 45, Windows on the World, Father of 13-year-old Twins, Joanna & Joanne Tim Grazioso, 43, Cantor Fitzgerald, Father of Twin Daughters, Lauren and Briana Peter Gyulavary, 44, Washington Group Intl., Twin brother of Paul Charles Heeran, 23, Cantor Fitzgerald, Twin brother of Billy Mary Helencia, 47, AON, Mother of Twin boys Stephen Hoffman, 36, Cantor Fitzgerald, Twin brother of Gregory Monty Hord, 46, Cantor Fitzgerald, Father of five-year-old Twins, Sophie & Jackson Father Mychal Judge, 68, NYC Fire Chaplain, Twin brother of Dympna Jessich Karen J. Klitzman, 38, Cantor Fitzgerald, Twin sister of Donna Andrew Knox, 29, Unique Infrastructure Group, Twin brother of Stuart Keithroy Maynard, 30, NYC Firefighter, Twin brother of Kevin The Maynard Twins' Story Alan Merdinger, 49, Cantor Fitzgerald, Father of 20-year-old Twins, Melissa and Mark Richard Palazzolo, 39, Cantor Fitzgerald, Twin brother to Ronald Michael Parkes, 27, Marsh & McLennan, Twin brother of Monique Edward Pullis, 34, Aon, Father of 7-Year-Old Twin Sons, Anthony & Edward Harry Raines, 37, Cantor Fitzgerald, Twin brother to Mark Steven Russin, 32, Cantor Fitzgerald, Father of Twins, Olivia and Ariella, born Sept. 15 Jeff Simpson (above), 38, Father of six-year-old triplets Max, Elaina and Leeann His Story (he didn't work in WTC but had gone to assist since he was a registered EMT) Leon Smith, 48, NYC Fireman, Father of Twins, Tiffany & Yolanda Nigel Thompson, 33, Cantor Fitzgerald, Twin brother of Neil Mark Whitford, 31, NYC Firefighter, Father of 13-month-old Twins, Timothy and Matthew Victim at Pentagon Scott Powell, BTG Inc., Twin brother of Art

Personal Involvement

While there are many, many worthwhile organizations that are helping the victims of the September 11 tragedies, we feel that one of the most important causes is The Twin Towers Fund, established by New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Guiliani after the collapse of the World Trade Centers with the goal of coordinating the generous offers of financial assistance to the families of the victims.

Twin Towers Fund

The purpose of the Twin Towers Fund is to assist, support, and recognize the families of the members of the uniformed services of the New York City Fire Department and its Emergency Medical Service Command, the New York City Police Department, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York State Office of Court Administration and other government personnel who lost their lives or were injured because of the tragedies of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center in New York City. If resources permit, the families of other persons who lost their lives or were injured during those tragedies may also be included as beneficiaries.

If you wish to donate to this worthy cause, you can send a donation via check or money order to the following address: Twin Towers Fund General Post Office P.O. Box 26999 New York, NY 10087-6999

The code is 'TT'

Although Twinstuff.Com is not affiliated with this worthy cause, we are urging our site visitors to get involved and make a contribution. All contributions are tax-deductible and should include your name, address, employer (if your company has a matching gifts program) and any other necessary contact information. You can also donate online via a secure interface by clicking here.

Additional memorial funds have been established by several of the families of victims who were twins. We list some of those addresses and links on our twinstuff.com twin talk news update pages.