Grosse Pointe resident who worked at World Trade Center to be featured speaker for 9/11 ceremony
Brian Kaufman lost more friends and coworkers, 105 in all, on Sept. 11, 2001, than some will lose in a lifetime.
Kaufman, of Grosse Pointe, will be the featured speaker at The War Memorial’s 9/11 Service of Remembrance. The service begins at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11.
“I’m really taken by The War Memorial’s beauty and it’s a wonderful expression of patriotism in the community,” he said.
At the time of 9/11, Kaufman was 39 and living in Summit, New Jersey. He had an office on the 89th floor of 2 World Trade Center, also known as the South Tower. He was working as a senior vice president with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. He began working in the World Trade Center in 1993, around the time of the first terrorist attack at the World Trade Center complex, when a bomb detonated below the North Tower.
Each year, the Kaufman family – Brian, his wife Mary Anne and their four sons – honor those who perished on 9/11.
“We tend to do so in a humble and quiet way,” he said. “Being able to share my experience at The War Memorial will hopefully be valuable to others in understanding. These aren’t just names of people on a list. They are brothers, sisters, father, sons and mothers. People don’t really comprehend the magnitude of what these people’s lives could have had.”
His remarks at the service will focus on why he wasn’t at the World Trade Center on 9/11 and speak about the people who were.
On 9/11, his plan was to report for work at 7 a.m. He had been dealing with a bank that was a client who failed on a margin call.
“Then I realized I had promised my 5-year-old son Eric that I would bring him to his first day of kindergarten,” he said. “The words ran through my head that business is just not that important.”
In April of 1999, Kaufman was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. He then spent the next year and a half recuperating from it.
“Those words, business is just not that important, those words would not have been in my head if not for what I experienced during my recuperation,” he said. “In a way, cancer saved my life.”
When he arrived at his son’s school, moments after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower at 8:46 a.m., people were saying they were glad to see Kaufman.
“Some people were coming up to me crying and saying I should go home and turn on the TV,” he said. “They didn’t even want to tell me what happened, that something was going on in New York.”
Returning home, Kaufman called his brother, then called his work. This would have been just minutes prior to United Airlines Flight 175 crashing into the South Tower at 9:03 a.m.
“I’m talking with these guys and can hear on the intercom the Port Authority advising everybody to stay calm and remain at their desk,” Kaufman said. “They were saying that everything was contained to the North Tower.”
Kaufman then spoke with Jimmy Waters Jr., a head trader at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, who was one of Kaufman’s close friends.
“He said the company’s president was saying for everyone to stay seated and wait further instructions,” he said. “I begged Jimmy to get out of there. There’s no risk in leaving.”
Waters was one of 67 Keefe, Bruyette & Woods employees who perished on 9/11.
Kaufman was on the phone with workers inside the South Tower when it was struck.
“The communications went off,” he said. “I took my phone, slammed it down on the ground, bursting it into pieces. I screamed and said, ‘no one will ever blame me for never going back to work in New York again.’”
The day unfolded with Kaufman trying to reach friends and see if they were alive. He also called relatives, letting them know he was ok and at home.
In the afternoon, wanting to get a better look at lower Manhattan and what was going on, Kaufman drove to a crest near his home.
“You could see a plume of smoke,” he said. “As I’m driving back, I thought about driving to the city and helping people.”
He then decided to distribute pop and pizza to folks coming off trains from Manhattan.
“People were shell-shocked and traumatized,” he remembers. “Ours was the only depot they were letting people off at. Being able to help in some tiny way was nice. I then offered to drive people to their towns.”
Reflecting upon 9/11, Kaufman said his family’s lives pivoted.
“We were so concerned with people whose husbands and wives weren’t coming home,” he said. “We were hoping to find some news that certain friends would be found.”
For two months after 9/11, the Kaufman’s would regularly attend funerals, sometimes as many as five in one day, and even choosing between which funeral to attend when they were at the same time. In a state of anguish, and with the vulnerability in New York City to another attack, Kaufman decided not to return to work at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.
Prior to working at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Kaufman was employed with Sandler O'Neill and Partners, a company which was situated on the 104th floor of the South Tower and lost 68 employees on 9/11.
About The War Memorial
The War Memorial, located on the shores of Lake Saint Clair in Grosse Pointe Farms is an experiential space open to everyone. For over 70 years, The nonprofit has served as a patriotic, cultural, and community center. Its unique environment attracts more than 3,000 events and 250,000 visitors annually while offering premier hospitality services for community and private gatherings. Its diverse lineup of innovative programming includes live and virtual engagement experiences for adults and children. At its core, The War Memorial celebrates the ideas of American democracy while honoring those who have defended those ideas with tireless effort and personal sacrifice. Numerous patriotic and veterans’ events are held as well as history and civics offerings on the origin, traditions, and challenges facing American democracy. The War Memorial remains committed to serving the community as a unique, dynamic, and forward-thinking hub for southeast Michigan.
CONTACT:
Alex Szwarc, The War Memorial
Manager of Communications
313.881.7514, aszwarc@warmemorial.org