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On Sept. 11th, 2001, the World Trade Towers in New York City were destroyed by two planes. Luckily for over 2,700 people, Rick Rescorla, a Cornishman from Hayle and Director of Safety for Morgan-Stanley, was in charge of evacuation.

As a retired U.S. Army Colonel, Rick believed the Towers would be a target for terrorists after the 1993 attack, and took precautions - pre-determining the most efficient ways to move many people very quickly, then drilling them in evacuation practices. Many survivors, when questioned later, said they'd received conflicting directions during the attack's aftermath, but then did precisely what they'd been trained to do, and it saved their lives.

According to eyewitnesses, Rick sang Cornish songs to keep people calm and moving, including Up Camborne Hill. He made sure everyone he was responsible for escaped. Unfortunately, Rick himself did not - he was among the 10 Morgan Stanley employees who died. He'd gone back to try to save the other 9.

The photographs below are memorials to an unforgettable man.

Wall of Grand Central Station, Sept. 12, 2002

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