Stories from Sept. 11: Wives, Daughters, Mothers
Monique Ferrer. StoryCorps hide caption
The StoryCorps oral history project hopes to collect at least one recording from the families of each of the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The following stories, and others like them, will soon be housed at the World Trade Center Memorial Museum. Many of the recordings will come from the StoryCorps booth that opened at the World Trade Center site in 2005.
Monique Ferrer
At 9:04 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, Monique Ferrer received a phone call from her ex-husband, Michael Trinidad. He was at work, on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower. Trinidad wanted to talk about their children.
An employee at Cantor Fitzgerald, Trinidad's building had been struck at 8:46 a.m. by the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11. At the time of his call, the South Tower was struck by United Airlines Flight 175.
Trinidad told Ferrer that he was calling to tell her that he still loved her — and to ask her current husband to be a good father to his kids.
Arlene Sullivan and Norene Schneider
Hear Schneider and Sullivan's Story
From left: Norene Schneider and Arlene Sullivan; Tommy Sullivan. StoryCorps/Sullivan Family hide caption
Tommy Sullivan was a stockbroker at Harvey Young and Yurman. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was having his weekly breakfast at Windows on the World when the terrorist attacks began.
Recently, Sullivan's mother, Arlene Sullivan, and sister, Norene Schneider, discussed what Tommy was like as a little boy. When he died, Tommy Sullivan, who was 38, also left a wife and two sons.
Jessica DeRubbio
Hear De Rubbio's Story
Jessica DeRubbio in a composite photo with her father, David DeRubbio. StoryCorps/DeRubbio Family hide caption
Jessica DeRubbio came to StoryCorps to remember her dad, David DeRubbio, a firefighter with Engine Company 226 in Brooklyn.
Three of David's brothers are also firefighters. David DeRubbio was 38 when he died on Sept. 11, 2001.
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This piece was produced for 'Morning Edition' by Michael Garofalo, with help from Nick Pumilia.