JS Tip 284: Remembering

Tips from Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting

** Remembering

Yesterday was the anniversary.

We need to remember.

We need to remember the sacrifice.

We need to remember Benjamin Clark.

You’ve probably never heard of him. He wasn’t a firefighter. He wasn’t a police officer. He was a chef.

He worked in the dining room on the South Tower’s 96th floor. He began his day making omelets and scrambled eggs.

But when the airplane hit, he left his kitchen and organized the evacuation.

Those who survived credited Clark with saving hundreds of lives as he made sure everyone on the floor got out of the building.

While the others were making their way quickly down the stairwells, he paused on the 78th floor to help a woman in a wheelchair. No one ever saw him again.

Benjamin Clark was an ordinary person. But in his ordinariness, he was an extraordinary person.

We need to remember. We need to learn.

He deserves that. They deserve that.

Next week, we’ll return to everyday things.

(Much of this tip belongs to Michael Daly of The Daily Beast. He’s written a longer article, “The Story of an Unsung 9/11 Hero.” It’s available on the internet. Find it. Read it.)

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