Our friend Bruce Salen Witnessed the 9-11, 2001 Attack.  Bruce, a longtime ERB fan and collector, shared first-hand accounts of his witnessing of the terrorist attack on the first Twin Tower. Bruce had flown from New York two times to visit us in Brandon and during our long chats he shared many stories of life in NYC. The most frightening and unforgettable story he shared was from the events of 9-11.

On that morning Bruce had taken a break from his job in City University of New York. He was standing out on the street when he heard a low flying jet. He happened to look across the street to a store front window and saw the reflection of a jetliner plowing into the one of the Trade Towers. He hastened back to the office which was in turmoil. They watched as fire engulfed the upper part of the tower. Soon they were horrified to see people jumping from the tower to escape flames -- their bodies falling to certain death on the sidewalks far below. 

Then another passenger jet hit the second tower. Bruce was shaken by these disasters and immediately left work to take a bus home to Brooklyn. He had just escaped the area before the towers collapsed, filling the air with thick billowing dust and debris clouds. A few late arrivals on the bus weren't so fortunate and were dust covered and very shaken up by the tragedy they had experienced.

Bruce Salen Remembered: A 3-Page Tribute
https://www.erbzine.com/mag34/3481.html

In May 2006, we were invited by Phil Collins and Danton Burroughs of ERB, Inc. to attend the Opening Night Celebrations for Tarzan the Broadway Musical at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City. We took advantage of our return visit to "The Big Apple" to marvel at the changes that had occurred since our first visit almost 50 years before. We took in all the famous sites and sights, but our visit to Ground Zero of the horrific 9-11 tragedy was probably the most emotional experience. On this Anniversary of 9-11, we've included a few photos of our visit on this page.