The Dakota County Historical Society is gearing up to take locals on a rare flight through history with a panel discussion zeroing in on how 9/11 shook up the Dakota County aviation scene. The society’s 85th annual meeting slated for January 20 will segue into the “9/11: A Dakota County Aviation Perspective” talk, offering attendees firsthand accounts from the skies and the control tower on one of America's darkest days.
For those interested in this unique retrospective, the doors at the Lawshe Memorial Museum in South St. Paul will swing open at 11:30 a.m. The event is set to kick off with a lunch at 11:45 a.m. followed by the actual program commencing at 12:45 p.m. History buffs or the simply curious can snag a spot at this event, members of the DCHS at $40 a pop or $50 for non-members, lunch included. A more purse-friendly option at $20 per person is available for just the presentation. More details and registration can be found on the Dakota County Historical Society website or by ringing up 651-552-7548.
The panel boasts three industry insiders with Steve Beenck, a retired pilot who found himself in an airborne limbo between Amsterdam and Washington, D.C., on the fated September day sharing airspace. He's joined by Bob Becker, whose day off turned into an unfathomable reality check as he watched the terror unfold across his TV screen preparing not knowing his work as an air traffic controller would be changed forever, and airport director Tim Callister whose tenure at MSP Airport was marked indelibly by the events. Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau's own Kristy Barse takes the helm as moderator, ensuring the panel stays on course.
The narratives threading through this panel do not echo from the most told chapters of the 9/11 sag. They offer a peek into the sky-bound angles of a catastrophe that usually stands silently next to the heartrending stories of those who lost loved ones or the valiant rescue workers sifting through the rubble. Through the words of Beenck, Becker, and Callister, attendees have the chance to digest a side of 9/11 history often relegated to the background but no less significant.
