December 2001 / January 2002 Edition

After September 11th     Fair Lawn News asked a Fair Lawn teacher, doctor, rescue squad worker, real estate broker, WWII veteran and the borough manager how their lives have changes since September 11th.  Here's what they said:     Ann Lustgarten, Radburn School 5th Teacher:  The children of Fair Lawn are understandably on edge because of the disaster of September 11.  Fortunately, few of our children have been touched by tragedy in their young years.  Neither have many of their parents experienced a national tragedy such as the war in Viet Nam, the assassination of a president, racial unrest and so forth. Now we must all pull together to share with our children the continuum of our country. By the children's efforts (collecting for the Red Cross, drawing cards and greetings for the rescue workers) the children are being empowered.  By discussing the ramifications of news reports and the efforts being made by their parents, their schools, their communities and their country to try to protect them, the children are being assured of their security.  By maintaining normalcy in our classrooms, the children are being reassured that all is well.  By feeling confident that the school staff led by our new superintendent, Bruce Watson, is caring for their children during the school day, parents can be more relaxed.   Bob Beshlian, Commercial Real Estate Broker:   Since September 11th business has become more problematic as a Commercial Property manager.  I'm dealing with an increasing number of retail tenants who are being squeezed by the economic slow down that was compounded by the World Trade Center attack.  People like myself are going to have much more work to do in trying to avoid vacant stores and we'll need the cooperation of local government to attract good tenants to Fair Lawn.   Kathryn and Ken at the Easy Video Store:  A lot of people are renting Nostradamus (about a prophet who predicted how the world would end), The Siege and Independence Day.  Thirteen Days, a movie about the Cuban Missle Crisis, is also  popular.  But many people are also renting comedies to stay away from the action adventure movies.  Some people are just tired of watching the news.   John C. Nichols, WW II Veteran: My wife and I don't go into Manhattan often anymore but do go through it en route to Brooklyn and Long Island. We miss the sight of the Twin Towers when on hills here in Northern NJ even though we did not care for those structures. We both worked in the area before they were erected.  And the stories of those killed or missing are so sad that we do get a  bit depressed and feel for those who survived.   I well remember the day of Pearl Harbor.  On Sunday December 7, 1941 I was twenty. When I first heard the news I was playing touch tackle football on a Brooklyn Street.  No one knew where Pearl Harbor was but when I heard Nichols Field (the name did it), I realized we were at war. I was to protect Nichols Field in The Philippines as a soldier soon thereafter.   The next day I listened to FDR on a car radio on Wall Street where I worked for a bank that is now Citibank. What a dramatic moment that was hearing his now famous speech.   Into the Army I went shortly thereafter.  Served in the South Pacific...both halves of New Guinea, the Philippines and finally three months in Sendai, Japan which is about 225 miles north of Tokyo. The city of about a quarter million folks was almost completely wiped out by 95 of our bombers in July 1945 but they 'saved' a department store that  became the HQ of the 11th Airborne Division to which I was attached.   On Christmas Day of 1945 I had the good fortune to board the cruiser The Matsonia in Yokohama Bay and it took but nine days to the USA. What a glorious sight at two AM to see the lights of California after three and a half years of service.   Barbara Saks (Borough Manager):  I always knew how tremendously skilled and compassionate our public safety and health officials were, but they rose to even higher heights after the September 11 attack.  It was with pride that I observed the Borough's response, helping the rescue and recovery workers in New York, comforting residents and business people in Fair Lawn, and generally being a strong arm to hold onto.  We have a lot of silent heroes in Fair Lawn and they deserve our gratitude.  Everyone pitched in, no matter what the task, and helped out.  Our community came together to help those less fortunate.  In other words, typical Fair Lawn.   Jim Magarelli  Fair Lawn Rescue Squad:   It is amazing how we all bonded together as Americans. Everything else about a person was put aside.  The incidents at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania will forever change the way we as Emergency Personnel react to a situation.   We must learn from this tragedy and review our guidelines, in hope to prevent a vast loss of life, such as what has occurred in NYC, in our field.     Dr. Michael Miller:  Several times a week, I get questions regarding anthrax and smallpox.  I had postal workers from Manhattan come in and ask if they should take Cipro. I didn't have the information necessary to make a logical determination. They needed someone studying their specific situation to give them a recommendation.   There is a high level of paranoia and fear out there.  It is a real problem.  No one has answers including myself.    On a personal level, it has changed my family's life.  A lot of travel vacation plans have changed.  We don't feel like going far away anymore.  Biological weapons are almost worse than a bomb, because they create a greater level of anxiety.      What Do You Think?: Send an e- mail to editor@fairlawnnews.com or post a message on the Fair Lawn News Discussion Forum.