The Decade of 9/11: Former hotel executive, father of victim reflects

Hans Gerhardt’s life story as one of the leading executives in Canada’s hotel industry would be a fascinating tale if all he did was discuss running the Sutton Place Hotel or Hyatt Regency. What makes Gerhardt’s soon-to-be-released memoir unique, and poignant, though, is his son.

Ralph Gerhardt had worked as a vice president on the 105th floor of North Tower of the World Trade Center. He was one of 24 Canadians killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and to help honour his memory and reflect on how the terrorist attacks changed the world of travel and hospitality, his father has written Hotel Biz – A Memoir, which will be launched Nov. 20.

In the opening paragraphs, Hans Gerhardt describes what happened after he received a final, frightening phone call from his son. He and his wife, Helga, turned on CNN in time to see the second plane go into South Tower then journeyed to New York in hope of finding their son. “Our visit to Ground Zero had been like looking death in the eye through the view from hell. Peering out over this ghastly scene, I couldn’t avoid thinking about my life and how I had come to this dreadful moment.,” he writes.

The book also reflects on Hans Gerhardt’s exceptional 50-year career, much of it spent as president and managing director of Sutton Place Hotel.

“It just changed everything. 9/11 brought everything to a standstill; air travel, and the hotel industry as well,” he says.

Gerhardt agrees with a movement being championed by the families of other Canadian victims and senator Pamela Wallin to adopt a national day of service that would be recognized on September 11. He says that while America has embraced the anniversary, it has faded somewhat in Canada.

Remembering his son’s last words to him — “‘We either got hit by a plane or bomb. I’m okay and we are okay, but we are evacuating. I love you, and I will call you later.’” — Gerhardt said that almost a decade later, it’s still extremely hard to cope with the loss.

“The thing about 9/11 is that it’s everywhere,” says Gerhardt. “Every day, there is some reference to it, economic or political, some reminder of what has happened to your family.”

On March 11, Wallin moved second reading of Bill S-209, which if enacted would create a law respecting a national day of service to honour the courage and sacrifice of Canadians in the face of terrorism, particularly the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

But she complained that it has been a slow and politically charged process.

“I think (Bill S-209) is very important and it’s why I am so puzzled as to why people would be resisting this,” says Wallin. “This is what families on both sides of the border have really asked for, and it’s nothing that obliges anybody to give money or do anything, it’s just saying let’s take this day, pause and remember, a small act of kindness, yes, in memory of those that lost their lives but also those who did so much at Ground Zero and other places.”

Former flight attendant Maureen Basnicki is a driving force behind getting recognition for Canada’s 9/11 victims. Her husband, Ken Basnicki, was murdered on 9/11 while attending a conference on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. She was in Germany on a layover, watching on television as the towers collapsed in lower Manhattan.

“It was so traumatic being on the other side of the ocean having the rest of my family in Toronto,” says Basnicki, who is co-founder of the Canadian Coalition Against Terror (C-CAT). She travels to New York from Ontario every month to volunteer at the Tribute WTC Visitor Center in New York City. Since 9/11, she has made it her mission to do everything possible to prevent future acts of terror, lessen the impact for victims of terror and to ensure that we never forget.

“We must turn the mourning into memory, and the memory into action. 9/11 should be a day to think about our neighbours, our community, and our country. We can take a tragic day in our nation’s history, and turn it into a force for good,” says Basnicki.

It is estimated that 3,051 children lost parents and that as many as 422,000 New Yorkers suffered from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of these attacks.

The airline industry was hit particularly hard. According to the Air Transport Association (ATA), the airlines lost approximately $1.4 billion in revenue during the four-day shutdown of the national aviation system in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

Gerhardt says the increased security that followed the attacks are a “necessary evil”, but he hopes Canadians will become more involved in making the world better and not take what they have for granted. He reiterated that a national day of service would be a great way for people to celebrate those on the front lines of freedom.

“You hear these stories of attempted terrorist attacks, but in the general sense, I think we took our freedom for granted and 9/11 really changed that,” says Gerhardt. “With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 coming next year and Remembrance Day, I think we have a chance to remember the soldiers, first responders, and volunteers who have given so much so that we can be free.”