People in the Newfoundland and Labrador town that restored faith in humanity, following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, are filled with both pride and sorrow 20 years later.
Gary Tuff, who was the emergency coordinator at the Gander International Airport, reflected with Global News about the scene on the tarmac.
“Fifteen minutes after we got the word that the airspace was closing down, planes started to drop out of the sky … 22 airplanes are on top of each other coming down.”
In all, 38 planes landed in Gander, with almost 7,000 bewildered passengers. The quiet town was home to just 10,000 residents to begin with.
School bus drivers who’d been on strike drove the so-called “plane people” to school gymnasiums that were converted into makeshift hotels … Gander’s hockey arena became a warehouse for stacks of food and drinks, and, the laid-back charm of the town and surrounding communities soon put their distraught guests at ease.
Bill Hooper was the mayor of Lewisporte, near Gander, at the time.
“One guy said to me, he said ‘where can you go in the world, sit on the steps of a church, right across from the police station, and drink a bottle of wine?'”
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It’s not just that Gander accepted their surprise guests. It’s how people there embraced them, and how deeply they considered their needs.
“This is the room where Libby stayed when she was with us,” says author and artist Dawn Baker, who hosted a 17-year-old Israeli woman named Libby.
“The spare room was spick and span, the sheets were, as I’ve said many times before, dried on the line, ’cause you sleep a lot better when they’re dried on the line.”
The story’s known now, around the world, thanks to Come From Away. First, a hit on Broadway, then beyond. Now, there’s even talk of a Hollywood movie version.
In Gander, permanent reminders include a chunk of steel from the World Trade Centre, and, there are more fragile mementos: Post-it notes, at the airport’s emergency centre, listing flight numbers. The notes are still on the wall, 20 years later. There are no plans to remove them.
Gander Mayor Percy Farwell admits it doesn’t take much for the pride, and the sorrow, to return.
“The situation in Afghanistan is certainly something that turns the world’s attention to it again and stirs up a lot of emotions again,” Farwell said.
Pandemic restrictions have prevented some “plane people” from returning this year, to show their gratitude.
For repeat visitors like Shirley Brooks-Jones of Ohio, this visit is different. Brooks-Jones initiated a high school scholarship as a way to say “thank you” to Newfoundlanders. Hundreds of students in Lewisporte have qualified for the Flight 15 Scholarship.
Brooks-Jones says she’s excited to see Hooper again, along with his wife, Thelma. The couple considers her a close friend, although this visit includes an important concession to COVID-19.
“I’ve already told her that we’re not allowed to hug, or even shake hands,” said Thelma Hooper.
For Brooks-Jones, it’s hard to hold back.
“Eventually, I’m going to touch your arm or your face or your or something else. But hug, that’s something, you know, if things are good or bad or whatever, hugs and not being able to hug, it just about kills you.”
But, fond memories from two decades ago are immune to viruses, like the streams of Gander drivers pulling over to offer their visitors a ride, as they were out for a walk.
“Gander invented the first ride-sharing,” recalls Kevin Tuerff of Austin, Texas, laughing during a Zoom interview. “The first Uber was happening in 2001. Problem is they just didn’t charge for it.”
And they never will charge for it — 20 years later, their kindness is still free.
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