And how has it affected your life?

Glen White, 53, professor at KU, Lawrence“I was on my way to work, my wife had told me that a small plane, we thought it was just one small plane then, had hit the towers. When I got to class there was a TV and I found out what happened. It made me pause and reflect. I was depressed for weeks about the loss of life, but encouraged at how we picked ourselves up afterward. It will have consequences for a long time to come.”

Kamali Marsh, 22, employee at Gould Evans Architects, Jefferson City, Mo.“I was getting ready to go to work when I saw stuff on TV. Then I worked all day. It made me more sensitive to the fact that America isn’t some big, untouchable, superpower. If people want to get us, they will find a way to get us.”

Cristina Smith, sophomore and Washburn University, Lawrence“I was driving to school and news flashes came across the radio. I was car pooling and we turned the radio up and just looked at each other in disbelief. I guess we all freaked out silently. Washburn was closed down, basically. We were freaking out because I have a brother in the military and we thought he might be called in. He wasn’t, thank God. It makes us respect the country we live in. We don’t have daily terrorism like some countries have. We put in force programs we’ve been working on for a long time. Maybe we can plan better for it in the future.”

Lauren Brownrigg, KU junior, Lawrence“I’ve been traveling a lot. Since then the airports have been more hectic, but it’s good. People there are more friendly and helpful. In was in Biology class in Budig and we watched the news on the TVs in there for a couple hours.”

Margaret Fast, employee at Kansas Water Office, Rural Jefferson County“I was at work in Topeka. We had a radio and a little TV that we were glued to off and on throughout the day. I didn’t directly effect me. I think about what it means to have my kids close to me. Right afterwards I started thinking contingency plans for my husband and the kids if a disaster hit. Now I think it’s easier to live a more normal life.”

Edward Hoover, 48, territorial Kansas re-enactor, Wamego“I was at the VA hospital at the time, and it hasn’t affected my life one way or another.”

Mike Ediger, KU international student advisor, Lawrence“I was at work and it’s impacted my life quite a bit because I am an international student advisor at KU.”

Roy Lafferty, 42, computer programmer for USDA in Kansas City, Lawrence“I work for the federal government and one of my jobs when everything was shut down was to make sure that all the computers were shut down. I think it gave Quantrill’s Raid more meaning to me because before Sept. 11, Quantrill’s Raid was the biggest attack on a U.S. town in history, bigger than Oklahoma City.”

Michael Lopez, 18, KU freshman, Kansas City, Kans.“I was in class in high school. The entire day, really the entire week, we stopped doing things and talked about the people out there.”

Jack McNiff, 50, insurance adjuster, St. Louis“I was at work. The only thing it’s done is made me more a little more careful than I used to be.”

Sean Fresen, 18, KU freshman, Chicago“I was in a KU meeting at my high school. I walked through the office and saw the first tower go down on TV on my way in. On my way out I saw the second one go down. There are two things it did to change my life. I stopped carrying a pocket knife for security reasons and my house is still on the market. No one will buy it.”

Kim Sheahan, 18, KU freshman, Overland Park“I had both government and journalism that day, so I watched it the whole day. My government teacher didn’t talk through the whole class. I think that is the first time I’ve seen him stay quiet that long. It really didn’t affect me personally because I didn’t know anyone there.”

Sara Pace, 8th grade at Central Junior High, Lawrence“I didn’t know anyone in New York, so it didn’t really affect me at all. I heard about it in school. I don’t watch much TV, so I didn’t hear about it until pretty late. It freaked me out, though.”

Aaron Marable, painter, Lawrence“I was at the coffee shop working on Sept. 11. I think the unblinking faith we put in technology we made to protect us is being questioned and we’ve joined the rest of the world in the unrest most people have to live with.”

Montserrat Mitchell, 22, KU graduate student, Lawrence“I was getting ready for class, I turned on NPR, and they talked about an airplane accident. When I got out of the shower, they were talking about terrorism. Everyone in class was distracted. I stayed in school because we were kind of expected to, but we didn’t do anything. It hasn’t changed my day to day life much. I tried to make an effort to not change my life.”

Phil Thie, 29, grinds monograms on tombstones, Lawrence“I was actually fabricating a wrought iron fence for a client. It was really odd. As soon as the first plane hit he opened the window and said, ‘You gotta see this.’ I watched it all from there. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about job security. That’s a pretty common concern. I’ve never been affiliated as far as voting, but I think there’s some interesting results from this. Something like this gives the GOP the chance to create a bigger government, which it’s party platform didn’t allow. Homeland Security is a cabinet Level position which is supposed to protect the county from terrorists. As soon as there is a party change we will have to start all over, and where will that leave us?”

Randy Fitzgerald, 37, supervisor at Allen Press, Lawrence“I was at work. It really hasn’t affected my personal, day-to-day life.”

Patrick Campbell, 26, Apple computer salesman, Lawrence“I was in school at the time studying architecture. It changed the way I looked at architecture, as an architecture student.”

Larry Decamp, 55, manufacturer, Lawrence“I was at work. It’s caused a lot of concern about the economy, so I guess they win.”

Jon Gwartney, 29, cook, Lawrence“I woke up to a phone call from a friend in Boston that told me what was going on.”

Jami Nelson, 20, KU junior, Lawrence“I was at school here, actually. It freaked me out. To tell the truth, though, I don’t really worry about it anymore. I’m more worried about West Nile Virus.”

Glen Hudspeth, 32, KU doctoral candidate, Lawrence“I was at home studying for my Ph.D. exams and waiting on the plumber. He came in and said that I’d better turn on the TV.”

Mike Durand, 32, strength conditioning coach for the Oakland Raiders, Oakland, Calif.“I was at work that day, it ws a Tuesday. I think it’s affected everyone. We have to think about our safety here in the U.S.”

Erin Friedrich, 25, assistant editor at Andrew NcNiel Publishing, Kansas City, Mo.“I was in Kansas City and I think in the publishing field it has made us focus on what’s important to publish.”

Steve Clark, geologist, San Francisco Bay Area“I was cleaning up and environmental contamination site. It take me a lot longer to get through airports these days.”

Tim Knapp, unemployed, Lawrence“I was one of those people that were glued to the television the entire time. I saw the second plane hit and then I didn’t do anything but watch TV for the next two days. It sent me into a total depression. I’ve personally realized different priorities in life. It made me take a step back and look at my life and which way it’s going to go. I’m saddened that there are people in this world that hate others so much. It made me take an active interest in other people, whether they are my neighbors or they live in a different country.”

Xoe Craft, business products consultant, Lawrence“I was on my way to work. I was watching the Today show when I first heard about it. People still came into my shop demanding that they get their pens and report covers the next day, but they couldn’t be there. There are lots of little ways life has changed afterwards.”

Mike Zerwekh, KU freshman, Lawrence“I was in school, at Free State. It didn’t affect me much.”

Ali Mangan, interiorscaper, Lawrence“I was asleep and woke up to four different messages from family members. I don’t trust in the government as much. I don’t believe it’s their fault, but now I am more concerned about government decisions than I used to be because it’s scary.”

Joshua Welch, teleconference operator, Lawrence“I was at work. I do teleconferences for big companies. I was working all night. The majority of calls for the day were canceled because we do a lot of big financial companies. We also had several crisis calls. On a call someone said a plane had hit the World Trade Center, and I though it was some goofy accident. I pieced together what really happened bit by bit.”

Josh Meitl, KU junior, Oberlin“I was in class and it’s made me look at the world from a different point of view.”

Amy Juhl, homemaker, Lawrence“I was at home watching the Today Show when it came on. I feel fortunate that I wasn’t directly affected, I didn’t know anyone there. We all look at the world differently, but it hasn’t changed my life any. It makes me count my blessings and appreciate what I have.”

Dan Nagengast, 51, vegetable and cut flower farmer, Lawrence“We were at our farm hosting a tour of master farmers from Shawnee County. It’s made me worry a lot more about peacefulness and war. America needs to take the lead and strive for peace, not be the aggressor.”

Eric Allam, 45, screen and printing shop owner, Lawrence“I was working at KU, making a delivery, when I heard it on the radio. I was listening to 98.9 the Rock, and at first I thought it was a joke. It sunk in when the second plane hit. It brought my family closer together. I lock the house and truck more often than I used to. I’m just more cautious and aware of what’s going on around me.”

Kim Stady, 42, school administrator, Topeka“I was at Disney World. They closed it. People don’t travel as much now as they did.”

Charmin SIlvers, unemployed, Lawrence“I was working at Sprint. For the most part it really hasn’t affected me. I’ve gone on with my life as normal.”

Kirsten Rosengaard, cook for Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, Lawrence“I was at work. I had just bought a little TV, so I saw it. It was unbelievable. I still cry when I think of it. I will never forget that horrible time. I try not to be tearful and think the best, trust that the government will take care of us.”

Robert Skupny, American Artist’s Agency employee, Lawrence“I was in Lawrence. It’s such a complicated issue, I don’t think I could sum up my feelings in a sentence or two.”

Sasha Vansickle, Freestate High School junior, Lawrence“I was in my 1st hour class at Freestate, it was a photo class. The teacher was gone and we didn’t know where she had left to. When she came back she told us that the World Trade Center had been hit by an airplane. We all thought that it was an accident. When we found out what had really happened, it shook us for the rest of the day. It proves that anything can happen, even in the U.S., where we think we are safe.”

Diane Wahl, engineer, Lawrence“I was working on the house. It affected my life in every way.”

Evan Stange, 19, KU sophomore,, Lawrence“I was in my Scholarship Hall. It has made me appreciate life.”

Dana Larwas, 22, KU senior, Lawrence“I was sleeping. I am more fearful of things I can’t control, but I’m not losing sleep over it by any means. I pay more attention to international news.”

Chris Pieschl, KU sophomore, Overland Park“I was in chemistry lab. I guess it’s bumped up my awareness of being in the Navy and what’s going on in the world.”

Brian Larios, 38, attorney, Kansas City, Mo.“I was actually working out of my home. I got up like everyone else and saw it on TV. It made me more conscious about our safety in this country and taking things for granted, like walking down the street and being safe.”

Daniel Waters, 22, KU senior, Lawrence“I had just waken up from a hang-over because my birthday is on the 10th. I was driving to class and a friend called and told me to turn on the radio. I didn’t see footage until about 10:30. It made me follow foreign affairs more closely.”

Kristi Strausz, 27, restaurant manager, Lawrence“I was on my way to work when I heard about it. I am more aware of what being patriotic really means.”

Roger Moore, 42, project manager in the IT area, Topeka“I was at work. I think it’s affected everybody. It’s gotten us back to family and made us appreciate what we have more.”

Dan Woodward, 55, general manager of a concrete-ready-mix company, Topeka“I was at work. It makes us very aware that we are vulnerable to those types of things. But we can’t let it destroy our values or our economy, we have to go on. It really is the land of the brave.”

Ray Rowden, 49, quality auditor, Lawrence“I was at work. I think it’s made me re-evaluate and appreciate my citizenship more.”

Joannna Hale, server, Lawrence“I remember I was in Kansas City and awakened by my mom calling and saying we were being attacked. I definitely have a more open mind about politics now, and I watch out for international affairs.”

Julia Worth, gives out samples at store, Lawrence“I was at home. It was kind of scary to me.”

Kenneth Miller, 42, KU employee, Lawrence“I was at work when the first plane hit. I was devastated when I heard. Once it collapsed I though of all those people trapped inside and felt for their loved ones.”

Kathy Hover, 51, jewelry representative, Overland Park“I was at home watching ‘Good Morning America’, so I saw the second one hit live. I am more cynical than I used to be, not as naive. I feel shocked at how someone could have that much hate in them.

Robby Rucker, 18, KU freshman, Newton“I was sitting in class playing a computer game, they turned a TV on and I saw the second one hit live. I thought it was a movie or something like that. I got more interested in what’s going on in international affairs and the Middle East, like with the invasion of Iraq stuff.”

Kyle Rice, 18, KU freshman, St. Louis“I was at school. I found out about it in the middle of a fire drill, so I was outside. It made me prejudiced against Arabs. When I see them I kind of wonder.”

Beth Balden, 18, KU freshman, Winchester“I was in drama class and it affected me badly because my brother goes to school in Washington D.C., right around the Pentagon. That was the only way. I live in Kansas, so I wasn’t affected that much.”

Kiley Winn, cosmetologist, Wichita“September 11, I was working at Wilson’s in the mall. It hasn’t affected me personally. It didn’t affect me at all, until I saw the special on TV with the babies of the firefighters who had died. That made me really sad.”

Jesse Newell, KU freshman, Emporia“I was in calculus class in high school. I remember at the time I was talking with some friends about Michael Jordan returning to the NBA. Someone came in and told us what had happened. At the time, I was like, “Who cares? Michael Jordan is coming back to the NBA.” I remember, I actually said that. It has really made me think about what we take for granted. About rights we have and how the nation can really come together. I’m a big sports guy, and at Royal’s games, no one sang the national anthem before. Now, everyone sings it.”

Kara Hoskins, employee at Creation Station, Lawrence“I was at school. Someone told me what happened, but we didn’t think it was anything at first. We had just heard something had happened. By the end of the day we were all freaking out. It had a huge impact on my life. It was weird seeing people become patriotic overnight. It’s sad that it took a national tragedy for people to care about their country.”

Alena Loyd, 18, KU freshman, Lawrence“I was sitting in class in high school, in physics actually, when the principle came over the speaker with a solemn announcement that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I though he did a really good job. We turned on the TV after that and saw the second one hit. The whole rest of the day was surreal, you know? We were in high school, where everything is a joke. But that day people were very respectful. I was lucky, I didn’t have family or loved ones there. It makes you tell your parents you love them before you go out and respect your family more.”

Raymond May, 17, Lawrence Alternative High School Senior, Lawrence“I was on my way to school when I heard it on the radio. I didn’t think it could be real. Lately, people have gotten more strict with patriotism and stuff like that. That’s how it’s affected me.”

Carlos Deleon, 17, Lawrence High School Senior, Lawrence“I was at school. The whole day we just watched the news. We were wondering if it was an accident. We didn’t know until the second plane hit. Everything has gone downhill since. School funding got a huge cut and were are about to go to war. Everything is just too wild.”

Hannah Schmidt, employee at Allen Press and the Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence“I was at work. I think in some ways it was a wake up call that we aren’t invincible. It would be far harder for people closer to the event than for us.”

Cory Xenous, 18, KU freshman, Lawrence“I was at school and it makes me look at everything in a different way. I’m more aware of my surroundings.”

Jeff Furst, 17, jazz guitarist, Oskaloosa“I was in my history class and what struck me most was the giddy look on a teacher’s face when he heard the World Trade Center had been hit. He looked positively happy.”

Alex Wickersham, 19, unemployed, Lawrence“If you take a 20 dollar bill and fold it in half lengthwise, then fold it in on itself into a triangle, there is an image of the Pentagon burning on one side and the World Trade Center burning on the other. I wish I could show you.”

Steve Meeker, 18, KU freshman, Overland Park“I think people make a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be. It should be remembered, but now it’s a national holiday. We’re celebrating the day people did this to us. We aren’t focusing enough on the people who need to be focused on. I was in school in the middle of yearbook class. I saw the second one live on TV. At first I though it was a replay, but then I saw the second one was burning in the shot. It really didn’t affect me much, I didn’t know anyone there. I just thought, ‘Wow. A national monument is burning.’ I didn’t ignore it, but I didn’t let it affect me.”

Joe Shelton, dishwasher at Paradise Cafe, Lawrence“I was sitting in Mr. Sloan’s 20th century literature class at Lawrence High School. I remember thinking, ‘Oh crap!’ because I had just finished reading ‘Dead of Honor’ by Tom Clancy. It changed my outlook on government because I like some of the things they started doing afterwards, like the way they treated people.”

Peter Haley, 40, owner of a pest control company, Lawrence“I was at work. We have a little TV with rabbit ears that we almost never use, and I watched stuff happening on that. I couldn’t believe what I heard. It was stunning, everything just stopped. I didn’t do anything else for the whole morning. I think it’s affected little things like going to the airport used to be a lot easier. Now it’s this big, time-consuming thing. That is the cost of terrorism, those little freedoms we enjoyed an took for granted.”

Richard Ubert, 46, postal worker, Roeland Park“I work nights, so I was in bed. We had anthrax right behind it, so it affected security for me. It made us a little more conscious of the economy and what we took for granted before, like air travel.”

Sharilyn McGee, 41, KU custodian, Lawrence“I was at work. I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked. How could this happen to us? To the U.S.A.?”

Randy Weseman, Lawrence public schools superintendent, Lawrence“The events that transpired on Sept. 11, 2001, cause us to think about the fragile existence of both peace and freedom. We cannot take either for granted.”Scott Morgan, school board president, Lawrence“I still don’t really understand Sept. 11. I know that I am very proud of our country and amazed at its basic decency. I try to teach my children the importance of tolerance and learning to disagree with people without turning them into demons. I hope our schools can help with this as well.”

Paul Stuewe, Lawrence High School history teacher, Lawrence“Since 9-11 I have noticed that students are taking more of an interest, not only in foreign affairs, but in politics in general. But as we approach the first anniversary and talk of war with Iraq grows, they have less faith in our national leaders to do the right thing or to protect them, than (they did) before the attack.”

Jill Smith, Sunflower School principal, Lawrence“As the first anniversary of 9-11 approaches, we are taking the opportunities we have to celebrate and appreciate the freedoms we have. The Sunflower staff, students and community continue to reinforce being respectful and helpful to others, as well as keeping our Lawrence community safe through our actions and behaviors.”

Mehdi Borhan, teacher at Johnson County Community College, Kansas City, Mo.“It really hasn’t affected my life because I stay updated with the news and the news, unfortunately, is filled with tragedy. It was absolutely devastating, but it happens all over the world. I don’t want to take away from how devastating it was. I was very upset. All those poor, innocent people trapped in there. They didn’t have anything to do with politics. But it does happen everywhere, and we need to be conscious of it. That really makes a difference.”

Lawrence Police Chief Ron Olin“I’d just left home on my way to give a speech on school violence in Topeka. I got a page about a block away. My pager went off again. I returned home in time to see the second plane hit the tower. I turned to my wife and said, ‘It’s started.'”Personally, I visited ground zero and it was very emotional. The average individual police officer on the street, who before just had to worry about the neighborhood, now has to be an agent of national security.”

Douglas County District Attorney Christine Kenney“I was sitting in my office when a member of my staff came in to say she’d heard that a plane hit the World Trade Center. Slowly, as the news came in about the second plane, then the third plane, then the fourth plane, the mood in the courthouse became very somber. Many of us migrated to a television in an upstairs conference room and watched in silence and horror as the media replayed the image of those planes striking the twin towers over and over and over. It is still sobering to remember as I saw the first tower collapse.One of the big changes for me professionally is that local law enforcement has now become an important part of the national effort to defend against terrorism. 9-11 also brought about a very passionate debate over due process and the criminal justice system. We struggle constantly with the balance between protecting the constitutional rights of the accused and protecting innocent citizens from vicious attacks. And finally, 9-11 affected me very deeply. The emotions are very strong, and I would rather not share those.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical Chief Jim McSwain“We were in an executive staff meeting in the basement of fire station No. 1. The on-duty battalion chief got a page about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. Then he got another page. We did like everybody else was doing and went out and watched the television.”To me, it’s still like a dream or a movie. It’s just something you don’t forget. Now, whenever the bell rings, you worry a little more when the guys go out.”

Douglas County Sheriff Rick Trapp“I was at the Topeka Expo Center for the Koch Crime Commission Conference. We went out into the hallway and watched a television. I came on back. Nobody knew the extent of what was happening.You don’t take security for granted anymore, even if you live in a peaceful community. We’re constantly reviewing security in this building (Douglas County Judicial & Law Enforcement Center).

Assistant City Manager Debbie Van Saun, the manager of Lawrence Municipal Airport“I was watching the morning news on TV in my kitchen when the first plane hit the WTC and I remember telling my husband some idiot pilot had gone off course and run into one of the WTC towers. It seemed too ludicrous at the time to think this was an intentional act. My husband went to the garage to call his parents, who live just outside New York City in New Jersey. Then the second plane hit, and I ran to the garage and told my husband that it was not an accident, another plane had hit the second tower.I remember having frequent conversations with Lloyd Hetrick, the city’s fixed base operator at the Lawrence Municipal Airport, as we tried to decipher the multitude of directives coming from FAA regarding flight restrictions. Since Sept. 11, city staff have had multiple discussions and meetings concerning terrorism as it relates to protecting the city’s facilities and operations. We all know that we are now living in a world where the unthinkable can happen and we must reduce our vulnerability.At a personal level, I try to limit my fears to “pre-9/11″ issues, but reality keeps forcing me to worry about terrorism and when/where it might strike us next.”