Peek at the Past

Here’s what made the news 10 years ago, from the Sept. 14, 2001, edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman:

Big Lake man saw New York crash

Tuesday started as just another workday for Herb Spencer. Spencer was on the 29th floor of a building near the waterfront in Brooklyn, working on a year-long consulting contract for the New York City Board of Education, when his supervisor informed him that a plane had hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.

He rushed to the window and looked at the towers piercing the crystal-blue sky just a mile and a half away across the East River in Manhattan.

“My first thought was terrorists and then I thought maybe a pilot going to LaGuardia [airport] had a heart attack. That lasted until we saw the second plane,” he said.

That plane was veering over the Statue of Liberty when Spencer first saw it — so close he could tell by its paint scheme and the “U” on the side that it was a United Airlines jet. Spencer watched the jet clip the second tower, cartwheel into it and then disintegrate. The most devastating part of the ordeal for Spencer was “spotting that second plane, knowing immediately what was going to happen and unable to do a thing about it.”

Despite the devastating events that had just occurred, Spencer explained that he was heartened by the city’s response to the tragedy and the number of people lining up to donate blood. “I never expected this city to recover as it did. I’m actually kind of proud.”

Crisis triggers alert

While Valley residents reeled from news of terrorist attacks thousands of miles away on the East Coast, local emergency and law enforcement agencies shifted into a state of alert.

Fire stations in the Mat-Su Borough went into lockdown mode and were fully staffed with on-call fire personnel. Since the Federal Aviation Administration suspended all air travel, pilots on emergency aircraft in Alaska who wished to fly patients to hospitals had to acquire a waiver.

Meanwhile, acting Palmer Police Chief Russ Boatright reported fewer police calls than usual. “It’s been peaceful, I think most people, at least momentarily, are focused outside of themselves and not as focused on their own problems.”

It cost what?

According to advertisements, in 2001 you could:

• Purchase a state-of-the-art Panasonic camcorder for $599.

• Buy a new Graco Pack & Play for $60.99.

• Replace the windshield on your F150 for $199.95.

• Fly round-trip to Dallas, Texas for $319.