Twenty years ago, a regular Tuesday morning in September turned into a long nightmare for many Americans and their loved ones. The September 11th terrorist attacks took nearly 3,000 lives, including three natives of Westfield, MA. In this post, we honor those who Westfield lost that day. And we share a book list for those who want to learn more about the terrible day that rippled outward in so many ways.
Westfield’s Own
The three people who grew up in Westfield and later perished due to the 9/11 attacks are Tara Shea Creamer, Brian Joseph Murphy, and Daniel Patrick Trant.
Tara Shea Creamer was a passenger aboard American Airlines flight 11, the first of two planes to crash into World Trade Center towers. She was 30 years old, had married her college sweetheart, and was the mother of two young children. She worked in fashion merchandising and was traveling with six coworkers on a business trip she had helped plan. Her father remembered his fifth child as determined, loving, and loyal. Read more about Tara.
Brian Joseph Murphy was at work on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower when the first plane hit it. He was 41 years old and married with two daughters. He was a vice president at the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald. In the wake of his death, his brother and friends dedicated preservation land in Westfield to him. His sister said he was “very social, very adventurous and curious about the world.” Read more about Brian.
Daniel Patrick Trant was also at work in the World Trade Center, where he was a bond trader with Cantor Fitzgerald. He was 40 years old and married with a daughter and two sons. While playing basketball at Westfield High, he set a single-game scoring record of 47 points; he was later drafted by the Boston Celtics and played professionally in Ireland and the United States Basketball League. His high school coach remembered him as dedicated, hard-working, and fun-loving. Read more about Dan.
New Books About the September 11 Attacks
The Lives They Saved: The Untold Story of Medics, Mariners and the Incredible Boatlift That Evacuated Nearly 300,000 People on 9/11
By Douglas L. Keeney
Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11
By Joseph Pfeifer
The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden
By Peter Bergen
Countdown bin Laden: The Untold Story of the 247-Day Hunt to Bring the MasterMind of 9/11 to Justice
By Chris Wallace
Reign of terror: how the 9/11 era destabilized America and produced Trump
By Spencer Ackerman
September 11: the 9/11 story, aftermath, and legacy: Reports and recollections by the journalists of the Associated Press
Foreword by Robert DeNiro
Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11: 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition
By Damon DiMarco
Note: Many of these new books at the Westfield Athenaeum were purchased with funds donated in memory of Lawrence A. Strycharz.
— Kat Good-Schiff, Local History Librarian
Sources / Further Reading
