Community Corner

9/11 Vignette: Sharon Lippman

Sayville resident Sharon Lippman had planned to attend a meeting in the Twin Towers on 9/11.

In June 2001, I wanted my art class to have an exhibit overlooking the New York City skyline, which I love, consequently a program on Ellis Island was secured with the Twin Towers in the background.

In August 2001, while visiting Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, overlooking the Hudson River, my sister, father and I discovered the Coast Guard and US Security agencies were housed at the site. My father, a WWII veteran remarked "how nice it was if we were attacked, that a security system was here to protect us."

My sister and I were shocked, answering, "when would we ever be attacked, and what an odd thing to say." My father, living thru the Depression years and Pearl Harbor, felt in life one never knows what danger can evolve due to political, social, or historical dogma.

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A week before 9/11, I had my sister photogaph skyscrapers for an architecture class. Again all three of us, walked thru Lower Manhattan to photograph the buildings. As we approached the Twin Towers, her camera went dead. She tested the batteries, which were fine and being a professional photographer she tested all of what may have caused the
problem.

It was getting late, so I suggested we photograph the remaining buildings on the list and, "the Twin Towers is so cliche," it will be here forever, therefore, we can shoot it before we catch the LIRR.

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All  day the camera was fine, taking pictures throughout the city. At the end of the day, as she attempted to take the picture of the Twin Towers, the camera went dead. She bought new batteries, but the camera was still unable to take a picture of the Twin Towers.

We decided, since I planned to attend a meeting in the Twin Towers on Sept. 11 for a future art exhibition, we would take the photos, at that time. Meantime, my sister took photos at the LIRR station and around Sayville, with a perfectly working camera.

On Sept. 11, after working all night on a class art lesson, I was too tired to attend the meeting in the Twin Towers. I decided to cancel the day in the city. I put on the TV, just to hear the weather, when my family witnessed the tragedy and the Twin Towers now gone forever.


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