My 9/11 experience

A twist of fate

The first week of September 2001, I flew on United Flight 93 from my home in Princeton, NJ, to SRI Menlo Park. I was invited to discuss the opportunity of leading the role of business development and ventures at SRI. The discussions went well, and I returned home with a sense of promise and excitement.

The following week another pivotal meeting awaited me in California. It was one of the regular meetings for our venture capital advisory board, called nVention, scheduled for September 12th. To attend the meeting meant that I would fly from Newark Airport to SFO for the meeting a day earlier - on September 11th, so that I would be rested and well prepared. My flight was again United Airlines, flight 93. 

Just prior to my flight, my executive assistant, Peggy Anderson, said something unusual to me that she had never said before - that I seemed fatigued from my flight to California a week earlier, and given the back-to-back trips, I should not try to make the early flight 93 to San Francisco. I argued with her a bit, saying that I like to arrive early in the day and use the remaining part of the day for meetings. Peggy responded that I had no meetings scheduled that afternoon. And besides, I could relax in the morning, have breakfast with Lisbeth, and then fly out.

Peggy wasn’t just an executive assistant in the narrow meaning of the word. She defined her own role broadly - not only to assist in all the crucial office tasks of an executive assistant but also to be helpful, thoughtful, caring, and considerate - much like a cherished member of our family. And if Peggy asked me to do something, you can be sure I had to strongly consider it!

We compromised by Peggy booking me on the next flight after Flight 93. I was also thinking that if I arrived early, I might still get on Flight 93.

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And so, on 9/11, I was at Newark Airport. I walked past the gate for Flight 93, but the door had closed, and I couldn’t get on. And while I was waiting for a later flight, and through the glass windows, I watched in the distance as the World Trade Center towers were struck. It was chaotic at Newark Airport, and on the loudspeakers were announcements, “Evacuate, Evacuate.”  The CNN anchor Carol Lin was on all the overhead displays at the airport, describing the events. Crowds of people rushed out of the airport in all directions.  Cars were leaving the parking lots and driving through the barriers. People were racing out and running onto the highways. I ran out of the side entrance because everyone else was running out of the main entrance, and I felt that if terrorists were there, I didn’t want to be in a crowd.

I was able to run to a passing bus  - and got on, not even knowing where it was going. It took us to the Hertz rental, and I was the last person to rent a car and drive south to Princeton. It was impossible to connect with Lisbeth - no cell phones or landlines had service. I drove onto the highway, and the traffic going north toward me was what seemed to be an unending stream of fire engines and ambulances.  Nothing else was on the highway. Overhead, jet fighters were flying.  It was hard to drive. I couldn’t see through my tears, and my chest was convulsing.

When I got home, my wife Lisbeth, my son Peter, and some other friends and neighbors were there waiting. I learned that children who had parents on flights to California had been called to the Principal at Princeton High School and told to go home. Some of Peter’s classmates had lost a parent.

I called Peggy, told her I was fine, and thanked her for saving my life.

On 9/12/2001, all air traffic was shut down, but we decided to have the Venture Capital Advisory Board meeting virtually anyway, to review our emerging ventures. It was our own act of defiance: we were not going to give any space to these terrorists.  I called in from Princeton.

There is no doubt that the decision to come to SRI Menlo Park and the events of 9/11 make me wonder about my fate and why I wasn’t on that flight while thousands of others have had to live with unbearable tragedy since that day. I know that many would say that I might have just been lucky and that a series of random events saved me. But that’s not the way I think about it.

All I can say is that I feel I’m living on borrowed time and that I have to earn this reprieve. I don’t know why I’m still around and how I can earn it. What I do know is that I want to make a difference, and like my mother had always said, “try to leave this world just a little bit better than when you came.”

In my personal life, I am committed to trying to be a better father, husband, and grandfather. I spent more time on work than I should have, and I regret that. I also put a reminder on my phone that goes off every day at 4 p.m. with the words, “Enjoy Life.” As soon as it comes up, I feel a sense of relief and appreciation for the life I’ve been given.

In my work life, I am committed to helping founders create groundbreaking deep technology companies that may have a significant positive impact on the world. Having helped found over 70 companies in my lifetime, I want to freely share whatever knowledge I have. My goal is to help founders be more effective in building their company. Creating a great company is difficult and risky. And perhaps I can at least help them avoid the obvious mistakes.

That is why I’m writing these posts. If you enjoy them, please share them with others who might gain some benefit from them.

Your Venture Coach,

Norman