Lincoln College Museum unveils addition to 9/11 Memorial
Lincoln College Museum unveils addition to 9/11 memorial
By Connie Seastedtseastedtfamily@yahoo.com
LINCOLN -- Dr. Sherrie Chan Pardieck spent most of Sept. 11, 2001, on the phone, making a network of calls to members of her family throughout the United States.The one call they all hoped to receive or make, however, didn’t happen. That was to her nephew, Chip Chan, who was killed in the collapse of World Trade Center Tower One.“That most important call never came. Our calls remained unanswered,” Pardieck said.Pardieck, of Peoria, spoke to around 75 people Monday at Lincoln College at a ceremony sponsored by that college and Lincoln Christian College and Seminary. While she spoke of her nephew’s death, faculty members also spoke of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.Ron Keller, associate professor of history at Lincoln College, led the service. “It has been five years now since the unthinkable, the unbearable, and the unheard-of happened. The images will be seared in our minds forever. This is a time of trial for the families of the 3,000 victims of 9/11.”Brian Messner, Lincoln Christian College history professor, recalled that day as well.“On 9/11 I was home with my 16-month-old when my wife informed me that the first tower fell,” he said. “I had to turn off the TV as it was too horrific to watch.“Then I returned and was stunned, because the world I had known had changed,” he said. “It’s too early to determine how the current crisis will impact us long term ... but we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”The Lincoln College Museum is one of a handful of sites to have a piece of girder from Tower One. The girder has been on display since 2002, along with items Chan’s family placed in the museum’s care.On Monday, the museum unveiled a new addition: a satellite photo of ground zero taken a few days after the attack.Keller recalled that when the girder was unveiled, “there were gasps, anger and tears, but this is a physical reminder and a tribute to all that have died, and we have heartfelt sympathies for all the families today.”Chan was born and raised in Peoria and attended the University of Illinois before moving to New York to work on the 105th floor of Tower One as a bond trader.“He was just so comfortable there in New York, and always talked about how he had a phenomenal view of the city,” said Pardieck.A year after the attacks, Pardieck said the rest of the Chan family went back for a memorial service and even retraced the steps Chan would have taken to such places as to his favorite restaurants throughout the city.“For a moment, they were all together again,” she said.There has been no DNA match confirming any remains as Chan’s, but Pardieck said the family hopes every day that there will be a match someday.“I am here tonight to honor my nephew and send our deepest appreciation to everyone for their prayers and help throughout these times,” said Pardieck. “Our hope lasted for days that we would connect again with Chip and that somehow everything would be OK. It was just a whirlwind of uncertainty, hope and pain.”
By Connie Seastedtseastedtfamily@yahoo.com
LINCOLN -- Dr. Sherrie Chan Pardieck spent most of Sept. 11, 2001, on the phone, making a network of calls to members of her family throughout the United States.The one call they all hoped to receive or make, however, didn’t happen. That was to her nephew, Chip Chan, who was killed in the collapse of World Trade Center Tower One.“That most important call never came. Our calls remained unanswered,” Pardieck said.Pardieck, of Peoria, spoke to around 75 people Monday at Lincoln College at a ceremony sponsored by that college and Lincoln Christian College and Seminary. While she spoke of her nephew’s death, faculty members also spoke of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.Ron Keller, associate professor of history at Lincoln College, led the service. “It has been five years now since the unthinkable, the unbearable, and the unheard-of happened. The images will be seared in our minds forever. This is a time of trial for the families of the 3,000 victims of 9/11.”Brian Messner, Lincoln Christian College history professor, recalled that day as well.“On 9/11 I was home with my 16-month-old when my wife informed me that the first tower fell,” he said. “I had to turn off the TV as it was too horrific to watch.“Then I returned and was stunned, because the world I had known had changed,” he said. “It’s too early to determine how the current crisis will impact us long term ... but we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”The Lincoln College Museum is one of a handful of sites to have a piece of girder from Tower One. The girder has been on display since 2002, along with items Chan’s family placed in the museum’s care.On Monday, the museum unveiled a new addition: a satellite photo of ground zero taken a few days after the attack.Keller recalled that when the girder was unveiled, “there were gasps, anger and tears, but this is a physical reminder and a tribute to all that have died, and we have heartfelt sympathies for all the families today.”Chan was born and raised in Peoria and attended the University of Illinois before moving to New York to work on the 105th floor of Tower One as a bond trader.“He was just so comfortable there in New York, and always talked about how he had a phenomenal view of the city,” said Pardieck.A year after the attacks, Pardieck said the rest of the Chan family went back for a memorial service and even retraced the steps Chan would have taken to such places as to his favorite restaurants throughout the city.“For a moment, they were all together again,” she said.There has been no DNA match confirming any remains as Chan’s, but Pardieck said the family hopes every day that there will be a match someday.“I am here tonight to honor my nephew and send our deepest appreciation to everyone for their prayers and help throughout these times,” said Pardieck. “Our hope lasted for days that we would connect again with Chip and that somehow everything would be OK. It was just a whirlwind of uncertainty, hope and pain.”
posted by "Faces of the Brave" at 9:29 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home