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Stamford Finds Strength As It Remembers 9/11 At Jackie Robinson Park

STAMFORD, Conn. -- On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Stamford's Blanche Sumpter said her granddaughter Kelly was on the phone from the World Trade Center with her mother, Gerdie Washington, when she suddenly heard a loud bang.

Attendees at a 9/11 Memorial event at Jackie Robinson Park in Stamford sing the "Star Spangled Banner."

Attendees at a 9/11 Memorial event at Jackie Robinson Park in Stamford sing the "Star Spangled Banner."

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Attendees listen to speeches during the 9/11 Memorial ceremony at Jackie Robinson Park in Stamford.

Attendees listen to speeches during the 9/11 Memorial ceremony at Jackie Robinson Park in Stamford.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Stamford's city and state officials, including Mayor David Martin, second from right., sing the "Star Spangled Banner."

Stamford's city and state officials, including Mayor David Martin, second from right., sing the "Star Spangled Banner."

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Michele Layton singing the "Star Spangled Banner" at 9/11 ceremony at Jackie Robinson Park in Stamford.

Michele Layton singing the "Star Spangled Banner" at 9/11 ceremony at Jackie Robinson Park in Stamford.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Blanche Sumpter, 92, said her granddaughter and granddaughter's husband were both in the World Trade Center when it was attacked but both survived.

Blanche Sumpter, 92, said her granddaughter and granddaughter's husband were both in the World Trade Center when it was attacked but both survived.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Donna Hughes, center, at the 9/11 ceremony at Jackie Robinson Park on Thursday. She lost her husband Paul during the terrorist attacks.

Donna Hughes, center, at the 9/11 ceremony at Jackie Robinson Park on Thursday. She lost her husband Paul during the terrorist attacks.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern

"My granddaughter, she worked on the 78th floor, and she was on the phone at the time talking to her mom. She heard this hit. She said on the phone out loud, 'What's that?' and she dropped the phone," Sumpter said. "She just started down those stairs."

Kelly was able to make contact with her mother about five hours later, and the news was later passed on to a relieved Blanche.

Her granddaughter's husband, Kirby, also worked in the building but on the first floor. He made it out safely as well.

Sumpter said she's constantly aware of how close her family came to tragedy and said it's important to remember all the victims. 

"They could have been part of the almost 3,000 that lost their lives and  that I still have them," she said after a 9/11 ceremony at Jackie Robinson Park in Stamford.

The 92-year-old woman was one of the 50 attendees at the event on the city's West Side.

Stamford Mayor David Martin also spoke at the event as he remembered the loss felt by families and the country at large. But he also spoke with pride in the country.

"We still hunger for their smiles, their laughter, their counsel and their friendship," he said in his speech.

But he said his "heart swelled with pride" at the actions of first responders who rushed to the scene in an attempt to save the lives of others.

"I find so much hope in their heroism," he said.

He decried the 9/11 perpetrators as people filled with "bitterness and hate in their hearts," and said the country must always remain vigilant.

Stamford State Sen. Carlo Leone, D-27th District, also said the country must be vigilant but said we can overcome any threat or obstacle.

"When we stay united, we really are an invincible nation," he said.

Stamford State Rep. Patricia Billie Miller, D-145th District, reminded her audience that everyone must remember what happened on 9/11.

"'Never forget' is an appropriate theme for today," she said. "We still remember Sept. 11, 2001, like it was yesterday. That sort of tragedy is impossible to forget. You remember where you were, what you doing, and how you felt, but most of all you remember the victims."

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