Dear Friends,

Some of you may have seen this story which was written by a crew member of Delta Flight 15 which was the flight Jo Hopkins and I were on as we were returning to the United States following the PTPI Board of Directors and Board of Trustees meetings in Aalborg, Denmark.

This is a remarkable story written from the viewpoint of a crew member although there are several minor inaccuracies in report and they have to do with establishment of the scholarship fund by passengers aboard Delta Flight 15 in support of students in Lewisporte and Gander, Newfoundland. The doctor whose idea it was to establish a scholarship is a native of Canada, but now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, rather than Virginia. And the crew member's report of the doctor picking up the PA and reminding the passengers of what we had gone through and the tremendous hospitality that had been extended to us while we were in Newfoundland, and then asking for support for the proposed scholarship is not accurate.

What happened was that after the doctor (Dr. Robert Ferguson) came up with the scholarship idea, he talked with several of us and we jumped on his wonderful idea. A statement was prepared along with a form that could be completed by passengers who wished to be a part of the effort. The statement and form was being passed around the plane, but time was running short so I suggested that we should ask the crew if they would read the statement to all the passengers. Dr. Ferguson travels a great deal and knew that it would be very unlikely that the crew would allow the PA system to be used for anything other than official airline matters. However, I felt it wouldn't hurt to ask and so I did. A crew member read our statement and was obviously touched by its contents; she then took the statement to the Captain to see if he would approve. In no time flat, the Captain had given us permission to go forward.

When I asked the crew member to read our statement to the passengers, she indicated that since this was the passengers' idea, that a passenger should read the document to their fellow passengers. Dr. Ferguson and several others were a bit shy about speaking to the more than 200 passengers on the plane and since I learned a long time ago that we often miss wonderful opportunities by being shy, I volunteered to do the job.

As I went back up front one of the crew members said to me "So, you're it?" and I replied "Looks like I am." The crew member pulled down the jump seat, I sat down, and was handed the microphone. THEN I GOT NERVOUS as I sat there looking into the faces of the passengers I had gotten to know so very well during our more than 27 hours sitting on the ground in the plane, followed by three absolutely incredible days with the warm, wonderful, caring and loving people of Lewisporte, Newfoundland! The statement that we had prepared was a wonderful commentary on some of the awe-inspiring experiences we had had in Gander and Lewisporte, and our feelings about the horror of what had happened in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. And, of course, we outlined the idea for the scholarship fund which would be an endowment that would provide funds forever so that young people in Newfoundland would have an opportunity to further their education.

The area around Gander and Lewisporte reminded me very much of the area where I was born--Vinton County, Ohio--which is situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. As we rode in school busses from Gander to Lewisporte the beautiful trees and the rural area made me think of my roots in beautiful southeastern Ohio. And when we arrived in Lewisporte, the people were just like the people from my home county. I knew everything was going to be fine, but never would I have dreamed just how fine and what extraordinary people the passengers of Delta Flight 15 were about to meet and to fall in love with! Even our bus drivers who had been on strike suspended the strike to be helpful to the thousands of people who had landed, without much forewarning, into their part of the world.

But, back to reading the statement: As I sat there looking into the eyes of my fellow passengers and having so many thoughts literally flying through my head, my emotions were about to take over and I knew that if I continued to look into the faces, I would not be able to speak. It was extremely difficult to keep the tears from coming, but by keeping the fingers of my left hand on the phone, my right hand occupied by holding the statement and my eyes glued to the words on the paper, I was able to keep myself from "losing it."

BUT THEN--PANIC!!! The statement was very well written, but we hadn't actually included any words of introduction, so I sat there on the jump seat--almost frozen. One of the crew members realized I was having difficulty and she asked if it would help if she placed a cart in front of me, but I told her that wouldn't be necessary, but I ask her how in the world I should begin. She smiled and very calmly suggested that I simply say, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention." What wonderful words! How simple! And how silly I felt that I had been so nervous that I simply wasn't capable of coming up with those eight beautiful words!!

After I returned to my seat, a crew member (I believe it was Katerina Sellers but I was still nervous and didn't actually see who was speaking) translated our statement so that passengers who did not speak English would also know what I had just said. It was an absolutely unbelievable feeling that I experienced. Needless to say, the feeling was even more incredible when, as we were nearing Atlanta, the money had been collected and the pledges counted, and more than $15,000 in cash (US) had been donated plus even more pledges. Several days later it occurred to me that it was almost ironic that our flight was Delta 15 and the funds for the scholarship had totaled some $15,000.

One passenger promised to set up a website so that we could keep track of one another and the progress of the scholarship fund which we tentatively called the "Delta Flight 15 Scholarship Fund." Dr. Ferguson was going to make contact with Delta Air Lines to see if Delta would be willing to contribute funds to our effort. Besides the passengers, many of the Delta crew also contributed cash and/or pledges.

As a result of our efforts, the Canadian media has interviewed several of us along with the wonderful Mayor of Lewisporte, Bill Hooper. Bill and I have been partners on several TV and radio programs as well as being interviewed for a story which appeared in the September 27 edition of the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper. I have been contacted by Reader's Digest and the Boston Globe newspaper and have also been advised that CNN has a very real interest in our story. So--as often happens, exceptionally good things come out of horrendously terrible actions.

My very dear friend Jo Hopkins, our new friend Linda Franklin of Jackson, Mississippi, and I feel truly blessed to have been a part of the experiences of September 11-14, 2001, and we look forward to what the future brings because we believe that good will always overcome evil, and that oftentimes we are surprised at the ways that things even out. We know that each of you will continue to have those whose lives were lost and those families and friends who lost loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.

For more information on the Lewisporte experience, you may wish to check out the following websites:

http://www.geocities.com/floridachapters/lewisporte.html

http://www.thezone.net/townlprt

And, finally, if you have time and are able to access Real Audio, on Monday, October 15 between 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), you might want to check out a Canadian radio program called CBC Cross Talk which is originates in St. Johns, Newfoundland. It is my understanding that this can be reached at:

http://www.stjohns.cbc.ca (Click on "Local Newscast"

This is a call-in program and they expect to have calls from Canada but would welcome calls from everywhere. Apparently the telephone number will be given at various times during the program. If any of you call, it will be wonderful to hear your voices!!

Sorry this has been so extremely long, but I just had to get some of this out of my system on actually into words. Please forgive me for being so wordy.

My best wishes to all of you.

Shirley Brooks-Jones