Susan Novak of Lawrence was preparing for an out-of-town trip when hijacked airliners hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
She canceled her trip and spent the rest of the day like most Americans, watching television reports in horror.
Letters, paintings and other memorabilia from around the state dealing with the events of Sept. 11, 2001, are being gathered by the Kansas State Historical Society at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka. Jill Brush, curator, left, and Nancy Sherbert, curator of photographs, display a submitted painting by preschoolers at the Kansas State School for the Blind.
"I was both scared of and furious at the loss of control of our world," she wrote of her feelings that day.
Her remembrance is one of many collected by the Kansas State Historical Society as part of an effort to document Kansans' activities, thoughts and feelings about Sept.11.
The project, called "Kansas Remembers," was borne of a feeling that reaction to the attacks and the war in Afghanistan needed to be recorded now rather than later when memories fade, said Nancy Sherbert, acquisition coordinator for the project.
"We wanted to be pro-active and not wait 20 years to try and collect things," Sherbert said. "I think it was good therapy for people to write about the 11th and what followed that."
Jill Brush, curator for the Kansas Museum of History, said although most Kansans were not directly affected by the disaster, "Kansans really pitched in. Lots of Kansans were getting involved, and we decided we needed to document this phenomenon."
Through letters, fliers and Web postings, the historical society got the word out that it wanted items related to the terrorist attacks.
The historians have heard from Kansans of all ages, from across the state, and in many different forms.
The collected material includes poems, prayers, paintings, photographs, banners, copies of sermons and even handmade, patriotic jewelry and buttons.
This braille letter was sent to President Bush from students at the Kansas State School for the Blind in Kansas City, Kan.
The artwork and writings run the emotional gamut from anger to sympathy.
"America is hurt and will never be the same," reads a letter signed "A Kansas farm wife, Norma Gasway, Ada, Kansas."
School children from the Kansas State School for the Blind in Kansas City, Kan., tell President Bush in a letter, both in printed text and in Braille, that they made and sold 91 cookies to raise $22.75 for children in Afghanistan. Students at the school also used their handprints to make an American flag.
Some people called for revenge, while others urged restraint.
SUSAN NOVAK, above, "was both scared of and furious at the loss of control of our world" after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"War will only breed more terrorists," wrote Duane Friesen, professor of Bible and religion at Bethel College in Newton.
Sherbert said the historical society is seeking more material and plans to conduct interviews to put together an oral history. The whole project will result in an exhibit at the museum that will be shown around the time of the first anniversary of the attack.
The historical society also has asked people to share their thoughts and feelings in remembrance books, which have been placed at the 17 historic sites around the state, including Constitution Hall in Lecompton and the Kansas History Center and Capitol building, both in Topeka.
In her letter, Novak said that several weeks after the attack she was enjoying a perfect autumn day while working in her yard. Then she heard an airplane, the sound of which brought back the feelings of fear and despair she felt on Sept. 11. "The innocence is gone," she wrote.
After having read some of the entries, Sherbert said, "You can't help but be impacted by what these people have said. Even though we are out here in the Midwest, you can tell that that day had a real affect on them."
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