On the morning of the first day of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR)Annual Convention and Trade Expo 2001 on September 11, 2001 none of us could ever have imagined how our world and lives would change forever, in an instant.
Members bustled through the registration area, getting their badges and programs, greeting friends and grabbing a quick coffee and muffin, as they made their plans for educational sessions and trade show exhibits for the day.
The day had all the makings of a great convention meeting at the luxurious Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. We never expected that, as our day just started, that we would hear such news and witness the horrific crimes of hatred we saw on the wide screen television that the hotel staff quickly placed in the registration area.
We were scared and in shock as we watched a jumbo jetliner plow into the World Trade Center tower, only to later be stunned by the crash at the Pentagon. We started to wonder what to do -- should we run to our families and friends, stay put at a location that may be safer, far from the potential threat in Boston, or wait and see?
As confused as the individual members and vendors were as to which direction to take, the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) had an even greater dilemma -- cancel the meeting or continue as planned?
They had to consider that there were reports of highway traffic jams, which would hinder travel, yet they also had to recognize that members, unnerved by the attacks, may have needed to retreat to the safe haven of their homes.
They had to allow some time for members to get through the jammed cellular phone lines to check on family and friends. They had to let this strong community of colleagues and friends huddle together to talk about what had happened. They had to think of their members' needs of attaining continuing education credits, networking, and state association business.
They also had to think about the vendors who had spent money and transported displays to the trade show floor...and about the vendors who sponsored the festive events -- dinners, banquets, and the Wells Fargo 'Poodle Skirts to Bee Gees" theme party and dinner scheduled for that evening.
In a true display of the democratic process, MAR ultimately left the decision up to their members, as the president, David M. Walsh, asked for a show of hands of those who wanted to stay and those who wanted to leave after making a brief announcement about their deliberations and how generous Foxwoods' management was in allowing for an immediate cancellation.
The majority voted to continue with the conference -- to stay the course -- and we went to our meetings and visited the trade show floor and consoled each other about the horror of what happened.
As members and speakers got back to the business at hand, albeit with great difficulty as we pondered what had happened, several MAR members set about finding a way for the group to donate blood. Linda O'Connor of C21 Goodnow spearheaded the effort and found the Foxwoods' staff to be extraordinarily responsive to her request for buses to transport members to the Connecticut Red Cross and anything they could to help.
Linda notes that it was a natural reaction for realtors to want to help. She says they are, "first and foremost, incredibly sensitive, loving, giving, nurturing people" and she chuckled about their "Type A personalities..everybody has a need to put things together, to make things right." Linda noted that another member, Debbie Agliano, of ERA Andrew, made hundreds to ribbons for the group.
A quiet dinner and silent auction fundraiser took the place of the planned festivities in the evening. Walsh addressed the group, "Our being together speaks volumes about our pride in what the United States of America stands for. Each of us knows our own private pain but collectively we must stand together and reconfirm our dedication to the freedoms we sometimes take for granted."
"As a demonstration of our pride as Realtors® and our readiness to stand up and make a difference, our General Session in the morning has been cancelled, and we have tentative arrangements with the Red Cross to allow the dozens of you who have expressed a desire to give blood to do just that."
Walsh asked for the group to say the Pledge of Allegiance after reminding them that "although we all hurt from these incidents today, our unity tonight shows clearly we will not allow ourselves to be intimidated by these unscrupulous individuals."
Years from now, when people ask us, "Where were you when the World Trade Center tragedy happened?", many of us will remember the sense of community we felt among our fellow Realtors as we reflect on how our world changed but we "stayed the course" during that difficult day.
