Buffalo Grove Native Reflects On Sept. 11 Experience

Ten years after Ken Stolman watched a plane smash into one of the Twin Towers, the memory still gives him goose bumps.

The Buffalo Grove native recalls stepping off the subway the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, en route to his job at an advertising agency, about one mile from the Twin Towers.

“It was a gorgeous, sunny day with blue skies,” he said. And, he added, “I saw that there was smoke pouring out of the World Trade Center.”

At that point, there was confusion as to what had happened, but “no one really thought that it was deliberate,” he said.

He and his colleagues later watched from a window as a plane approached the second tower. Stolman recalls thinking that perhaps the plane was bringing emergency relief to the World Trade Center. He watched as it continued on a direct path to the second tower.

“I really remember that life seemed to slow down completely at that moment,” he said. “As it got closer and closer and closer to the second tower, I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

He soon was back on the city’s streets, where the environment had changed completely. He remembers smelling buildings and bodies burning. The smoke would linger for months.

And he witnessed something else he’ll never forget.

“When I left my office, I saw the building fall down,” he said.

While many fled New York after Sept. 11, Stolman, a alum who had just moved to the city after his graduation from Northwestern University, felt compelled to stay.

“I felt that my life was going to change,” he said.

He soon began volunteering at a nonprofit organization formed in response to the attacks. Within weeks, he had quit his new job at the advertising agency to become one of only four full-time employees of The Gift of New York, aimed at uplifting victims’ families by providing free access to arts and entertainment venues across the city.

“I accepted the job because I knew I was never going to have another opportunity like this again,” he said.

In his new role, he spent his days connecting with as many New York organizations as possible, requesting that they provide admission to relatives of victims.

During the organization’s 18-month existence, 261 New York institutions donated 65,000 tickets, which were distributed to 2,300 participating families.

Stolman met many of the beneficiaries and listened to their stories. He was invited to their weddings. When victims’ remains were found, he attended funerals.

“It was very emotional,” he said. “The families were so sad, so angry, so confused.

“Everyone felt that way, but I had an insider’s perspective as to what they were going through.

“I got to know many of them on a deep personal level. Many of them said I reminded them of their son who was not around anymore.”

While his mere presence provided comfort to some of the families, others were touched by Stolman’s work.

“I’d get calls saying, ‘the tickets to the ballgame made my son smile for the first time since his father died,’ ” he said.

Through it all, he said, his hometown was at the forefront of his thoughts.

“I really did it with representing my family and Buffalo Grove in mind,” he said.

The experience “really did fundamentally change me,” Stolman said. “I feel like I became more compassionate, more dedicated to the community.”

Coming from a person who grew up in a community-minded household, that’s saying a lot. His mom, Maureen, taught at for many years; his dad, David, who has long been active in local organizations, serves as .

While he previously had participated in volunteer projects, Ken Stolman said his experience in New York taught him “the value of a really good community-building idea.”

“I was able to do some incredible things that people only dream about,” he said, noting that in addition to working with The Gift of New York founders Andrea Bronfman and Andrew Tisch, he attended a September 2002 reception held by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the organization’s honor and joined other representatives in ringing the NASDAQ bell.

After The Gift of New York’s efforts came to a close in 2003, Stolman spent the next two years in nonprofit marketing for Bronfman Philanthropies.

When he decided it was time to pursue an MBA in marketing, Stolman wrote about his post-Sept. 11 efforts on his application. He credits his experiences for his acceptance into the program at New York University, from which he graduated in 2007.

By then, he was ready to return to his roots. He moved back home, where he met his wife, Shelley, and began his career in consumer marketing. He now lives in Chicago and works for Microsoft. In his spare time, he continues civic involvement through organizations such as Keshet.

He said he still thinks of Sept. 11 often, and he’s considering a trip back to New York in remembrance of the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

“I’ll probably go to Ground Zero and lay flowers, pay my respects and do what I can,” he said.