The Sylva Herald and Ruralite - Ruralite Cafe: 05/16/02 Emotional visit with New York firemen
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Ruralite Cafe: Published 05/16/02

By Rose Hooper - Features Editor

Emotional visit with New York firemen

 Rose
What started out as a fun-filled vacation with best friends ended up an emotional experience the six of us will remember for the rest of our lives.

Seems like most of Jackson County saw Brenda Oliver, Martha Queen, Veronica Nicholas, Vicki Greene, Myrtle Schrader and me as the "Smoky Mountain Mavens" on Good Morning America May 7.

That experience was truly one of the highlights of our Big Apple adventure because we had a chance to personally tell hosts Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer and weatherman Tony Perkins just how great our county is and what a great vacation spot it would make for them. We also seized the opportunity to tell actor Kevin Spacey and two GMA producers that Jackson County is a great place for film making, too.

Chamber of Commerce Director Julie Spiro would have been proud of us, but Brenda is the one to be especially proud of. Unexpectedly, Tony thrust the mike in front of her and asked live on camera what was so great about Sylva. Madam Mayor, just as cool and professional as a television star, answered, "the beauty of the mountains and the people."

All of us agreed that the other highlight of our trip - the one that affected us so much - was our visit with the men of New York Fire/Rescue Unit #1, those next to and the first to respond to the World Trade Center tragedy. Short-staffed and working double shifts, these men took the time to talk with us and give us a tour of their station.

As Brenda put it, "The firemen we visited have experienced more horror and grief than we can imagine, yet they are still there on the front lines ready to do their job. I think the attack gave them a perspective on what is really important in this life. They embodied the role of 'true heroes' to me."

She told them about our heroes back home and their commitment and caring, even though they serve as volunteers.

FDNY #1 lost 11 men on Sept. 11; the remains of eight have been found. One of those lost was the unit's baby-faced captain, Terry Hatton. His wife is former Mayor Rudy Guiliani's secretary. Terry died without knowing that his wife was pregnant; the baby is due any day now.

Veronica was touched by "how these big, burly men talked about things that made them cry; they were not embarrassed to shed tears. I could tell 9-11 really changed them."

Vicki said, "I brought back two T-shirts from New York and gave my son, Patrick Dowling, the choice of the two. A baseball player for Smoky Mountain High School, Patrick had to choose between a T-shirt from the 'Baseball as America' exhibit at the Museum of Natural History and a T-shirt from the FDNY Rescue 1 Unit. He chose the Rescue 1 T-shirt."

These men - many young enough to be our sons - desperately needed somebody outside the city to talk to and share their feelings with, and we southern mammas seemed to arrive at just the right time.

We also spent time with some other men, Appalachian State University professors, who, for their sake as well as ours, shall remain nameless. Thanks to Veronica, our accommodation was the Appalachian Loft, which is available to those affiliated with ASU and Western Carolina University. Sleeping quarters are 12 single-size beds in two separate rooms - one for men, one for women.

The first night a group of female faculty and students from ASU filled most of the women's quarters, so some of us - but not all - had to bunk with the men for that night. The next day the group left and we had the women's quarters all to ourselves.

Five days later when we were packing to come back home, one of the male professors asked us for our full names. I thought he might want to get in touch with us and follow-up on the late-night "lofty" debates we shared. But no. He said, just as deadpan as ever, "I want to give my wife a list of all the women I slept with in New York City!"

In those fast-paced days of attending riotous comedy plays, visiting museums and landmarks, attending Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, seeing the gap where the World Trade Center used to be, riding a ferry and a limousine and walking, walking, walking... I discovered Brenda, who never has a bad hair day, can sniff out a piece of chocolate candy within a five-block radius; Vicki makes a great Metro guide and earned the title "Queen of Trivia;" Myrtle, who is quite the prankster, converted our loft into a Feng Shui experience; Martha cannot only refold maps but reads and understands them and can unfailingly get you where you want to go; and dear, sweet Veronica, who filled our living room with fragrant lilacs, can charm even the rudest New Yorker into a smile.

Back to Archive: 05/16/02.