September 11, 2026 edited by Hilary Jenison with content and photos provided from Laura and Tom Donnelly
Twenty-five years after escaping the South Tower of the World Trade Center, Hingham resident Tom Donnelly and his wife, Laura, reflect on survival, community and what it means to “never forget.”
On September 11, 2001, Tom and Laura Donnelly were newlyweds living in Westfield, New Jersey. Married for just two years, they had been in their first home for a little more than a year.
That morning, Tom left early for his commute to Manhattan, where he worked for an insurance company on the 30th floor of 2 World Trade Center, the South Tower. Laura later left for her government affairs office in a neighboring town.
Within hours, their lives, and the world, had changed forever.
Twenty-five years later, the Donnellys, Hingham residents since 2006, are sharing their accounts of that day: Tom through an oral history he recorded for his nephew and Laura through emails she sent to family and friends on September 11 and 12, 2001.
“Tom is okay…”
At 9:17 a.m. on September 11, Laura sent an email to family and friends.
From: Laura McCord Donnelly
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001, 9:17 AM
Subject: Tom is okay…
Before I leave the office to go home, I wanted to get this out to you. I heard from Tom a few minutes ago. He seems to be okay. It was the tower next to the one he is in that was hit. It is complete chaos. He is in shock and a little bumped and bruised (but because he is in shock, he is not sure).
We’re just trying to get him home right now. I’ll let you know later.
Pray for him…. and everyone.… please.
Neither Tom nor Laura yet understood the magnitude of what was unfolding.
Getting Out, “Tom is truly okay”
On Wednesday September 12, Laura sent this follow-up email to family and friends.
From: Laura McCord Donnelly
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001
To: Family, Friends
Subject: Tom is truly okay
Tom is truly okay. His shoes ruined by jet fuel, his tie ruined from dust, a suit needing to be cleaned, but he is truly okay.
Tom worked on the 30th floor of Tower 2 (the second tower to be hit, the first tower to collapse). The NY office is a branch office for the regional division stationed out of Basking Ridge [NJ], so thankfully, there were only 2 other people in the tower office with Tom.
Tom was preparing to go to a meeting when he heard the turbines of the plane and saw the first explosion.
Tom’s receptionist survived the 1993 bombing and told him they had to get out before the building was “locked down.” They retrieved damp paper towels to cover their noses and mouths, then headed to the stairwell, the receptionist between Tom and his other co-worker so she would be protected. They counted the stairs in each flight to know their location.
Around the 9th Floor the announcement came that Tower 2 was secure and everyone could return to work. The three of them chose to continue out of the building.
Once on the street, Tom’s co-worker stood in line for a pay phone to call his wife. He asked Tom for my number, but Tom told him he would just keep walking until he got a cell. The receptionist headed toward the Staten Island ferry – in the direction of the 2nd explosion. We have not heard from either one of them and do not know if they made it.
Tom decided to walk toward the water. Within a few steps was the 2nd explosion. Tom took cover by tucking himself between 2 marble columns of a doorway [of the Deutsche Bank building on Liberty Street]. Once the debris finished falling, he ran. He ran to Battery Park, where he found a real estate developer’s office and asked if he could borrow the phone to call me.
Tom then ran up to the ferry slip. At the time, the ferry was still charging. The teller was having an awkward time making change. Tom took out his money, told the teller he didn’t need change; he just wanted tickets. Tom distributed the extra tickets to the people waiting behind him. [He returned home with a pocket full of cash from people repaying him; it was donated to the recovery efforts.]
Once Tom’s ferry made it to Jersey City, he flagged down a car, explained what happened and asked for a ride to Journal Square [where he parked his car that morning]. It wasn’t until Tom got into his car that he realized: 1. Planes hit both towers (he thought it was just the one, with a secondary explosion); and 2. His tower collapsed.
Tom’s call to me from Battery Park was very short. In fact, when I got the call, I had not even heard what happened yet.
Tom sounded, of course, panicked, scared and he said to me “I’m fine… I’m okay.” I asked him what he was okay from. He said that something hit the World Trade Center, but not his building, it was the other building. He told me to call his parents to let them know he was okay, as well as my parents. His plan was to head north to grab a ferry, but that he was coming home. He explained his cell was not working, but that he would be in touch when he got to NJ.
After I hung up with Tom, through coworkers and family, I began to realize the magnitude of what was happening. My office encouraged me to go home and have family with me until I heard from Tom again.
When I returned to our house, I turned on the television set and learned of there being two planes hitting both buildings and stood in front of the television while I watched Tom’s tower collapse. It was at that moment that I realized that I didn’t know where Tom was when he called or at what point in the sequence of events did he call: Did he call me after the first explosion?… Or, the second?… What floor was his office on?… Was he out of the building?… Was he far enough away to not be hurt?…
Tom made it home around Noon, perhaps. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the phone with family and friends.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We truly appreciate them. Please keep praying for everyone else – especially Roseanne and John [Tom’s coworkers] — they urged Tom out of the building, and we have not yet heard if they are safe.
Tom does not have a computer/email for now and his voicemail is not operational. You can reach him at this email address or at our home number.
Love always,
Laura
Tom in His Own Words
In 2017, Tom recorded an approximately nine-minute account of his experience for his nephew’s high school oral-history project. The recording can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DF_CUp9th0
Twenty-Five Years Later
Tom’s coworkers, Roseanne and John did return home, physically unharmed. Both are currently enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. Tom and John speak often and visit with one another. John shared his story on the 20th anniversary; it may be viewed here.
The Donnellys’ hometown of Westfield lost 12 community members on September 11 — one being the son-in-law of one of Laura’s colleagues.
“It was a sad and difficult time,” Laura reflected. “And it was felt 360 degrees: home, work, family and friends, colleagues and business connections — and the world…. What helped was leaning into life’s greatness….”
On the first anniversary, friends sent Tom and Laura a tree. The card simply read, “To life!” On each anniversary, Tom takes the day from work, speaks with his former co-worker, John, and plants something, somewhere.
Finding Community in Hingham
In April 2006, Tom and Laura moved to Hingham with their, then, 18-month-old son, James, when Tom’s job brought him to Boston. Their youngest child, Trevor, joined them in 2008. Over their 20 years in Hingham, the Donnellys have met several residents whose lives were also directly impacted by the events of September 11, 2001.
For Tom, the words “Never forget” encompass more than the tragedy and loss: “We also never want to forget the sense of support, care and community that we — and the nation — experienced that day and in the months that followed.” Tom observed, “It is why Laura and I feel connected to Hingham. This town fosters a tremendous sense of community and stewardship—people genuinely support and care for one another, friends and strangers alike.”
Both Tom and Laura remained active in town and school activities and committees. Tom currently volunteers on the 2025 Hingham School Building Committee. After being a stay-at-home parent for twenty years, Laura returned to work as the Senior Clerk in the Hingham Town Clerk’s Office.
Twenty-five years after Tom escaped out of the South Tower, the Donnellys continue to remember those who were lost but also the humanity that emerged from one of the darkest days in American history.
For them, “never forget” means remembering both.