In the fall of 1981, 20 years before 9/11, I graduated from the XMBA program at Pace University in Manhattan (my birthplace). Our morning graduation was held in the Pace Schimmel Center at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Several larger XMBA classes in addition to our small class of 17 were also graduating. Our commencement speaker was Peter Drucker, a personal friend of our entrepreneurship professor, Jack Flaherty (who inspired me to ultimately become an entrepreneur). Drucker and Flaherty had both been professors at nearby NYU. To celebrate our graduation, our class went to lunch at The Windows of the World in the World Trade Center a few blocks away. In the restaurant, I looked out the window at the incredible sight. The sun had moved to the west behind the Twin Towers, highlighting a clear panoramic view looking east over lower Manhattan, the East River and Brooklyn. I took out my camera and snapped a photo (link below) and was promptly chastised by the restaurant staff who informed me that taking photos was not allowed. In the photo, the left shadow of the Twin Towers covers the Pace campus at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. After 30 years, I still keep a framed print of this photo in my office. I cherish my time at Pace and my memory of the World Trade Center; and I mourn the loss of life and our symbols of freedom at the hands of terrorists. However, I am very confident that we will win this war on terrorism!
