September 11th - Two Classmates

Every time September 11th rolls around, I'm reminded of two classmates in my freshman year at New Mexico Tech (a college that specializes in geosciences). 

I took Dr. Loganbill's English class in the Spring of 1975. I was apprehensive about this class, having already heard stories about Loganbill's fascination with structuralism and postmodern linguistics. Freshmen technical students could see the value of an English class - good for writing better owners' manuals, after all - but this jargon-filled Long March into philosophy was intolerable. 

The first classmate, Victor Saracini, was 24, a bit older than most. We shared small talk. What I remember was his smile, his humor, his calm demeanor, and unflappability under postmodern stress. 

I never saw Victor again after Loganbill's class. After graduating from NM Tech, he became an airline pilot. He was the pilot of United Flight 175 on September 11, 2001 - the second airliner. The hijackers killed him and his copilot before flying into the South Tower of the World Trade Center, and into history. 

The second classmate was Kathy McGrade, a student majoring in metallurgy. After 9/11, she toured the 9/11 Truther circuit. Apparently, debris from the World Trade Center contains metal microspheres. McGrade believed these microspheres were highly-significant, since they can't be generated at the lower temperatures characteristic of open fires. Conspiracy theories flowed from that observation. 

I think McGrade was just wrong. It happens - highly-trained people can make mistakes. I think the microspheres came from high-temperature welding - metal ash from the building's original construction in the late 60s. No need to posit elaborate conspiracy theories. I'm just baffled. Why didn't she think of that simple explanation? 

Two classmates. Diligence and error. My generation's collision with history:

Victor J. Saracini was born on August 29, 1950 in Atlantic City, New Jersey to parents Anne and Victor Saracini. He attended local grammar schools, Atlantic City High School, and was a graduate of the New Mexico School of Mining and Technology with a major in biology. He joined the United States Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate School, was commissioned as an ensign, and in 1976, received his Naval Flight Officer wings in Pensacola, FL. Victor attended graduate school at Louisiana Tech University. 

Victor served in the Naval Reserve at Willow Grove, PA from 1980 to 1985 and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Navy "E" Ribbon, and the Expert Marksmanship ribbon. Victor worked as a corporate pilot for Trenton based Johnson & Johnson, and Pennsylvania based Penn Commuter and the former Wings Airways. He joined United Airlines and was the pilot of the United Airlines Flight 175 when it was hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001.