Our editor-at-large Robert Plunket traveled with President Bush from Jacksonville to Sarasota and was there when he received news of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Below is his account of that extraordinary day.

Sept. 11, 2001
I know it’s not funny, but I feel in the interest of history I should record my experiences of the past few days, which, as fate would have it, I spent in close proximity to President Bush.  

It all started when I received an unexpected invitation to accompany the President as part of the White House press corps during his educational swing through Florida. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why he was suddenly being so nice to me, but I leapt at the opportunity. What columnist wouldn’t?

Sunday evening I drove up to Jacksonville, and after an uncomfortable night at the Motel Six, I made my way to Justina Elementary School where the President was due at 3:45 that afternoon for a tour and a “Leadership Forum” on reading in the multi-purpose room.

The first thing I learned was that anything to do with the President involves a tremendous amount of waiting. At 2 p.m. we were let into the multi-purpose room and the place immediately filled with the invited guests, most of whom had already been waiting an hour or two. Excluding media, there were about 150 people present; they included the school board, selected teachers and students, a few parents, and a tremendous number of politicians—Sen. Bob Nelson, Education Commissioner Charley Christ, Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan, Bradenton’s own Sen. John McKay. It looked like a whole bunch of campaign ads come to life and it occurred to me, not necessarily in a good way, that Florida is run by a bunch of middle-aged white guys in suits. And, I might add, some very expensive and photogenic neckties.

Kenny G. played on the loudspeaker. The wait went on and on. The children kept having to go to the bathroom, which required security clearance.

Finally, precisely at 3:50, the President entered, along with his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, Secretary of Education Rod Paige (a tall and serious African-American from Houston) and the school’s principal. They sat on four bar stools placed at the end of the room. The President seemed horribly uncomfortable on the barstool; he was exactly the wrong height, while the others, being much shorter (the principal) or much taller (the governor and the secretary) had no trouble whatsoever. He spent the entire leadership forum discreetly shifting his weight, trying to find a comfortable position. Nevertheless, he was the soul of affability– he reminded me of Johnny Carson—and kept lightening up the proceedings with little jokes, many about his brother and/or football.

The politicians in suits sat rigidly at attention, leaning slightly forward, each riveted to their President and role model.

The program, such as it was, dealt with reading, and was on what struck me as a very superficial level, even for an elementary school. “Every child should learn to read,” the President said, and then emphasized “the importance of practicing reading. If it takes teaching reading all day long, do it!” he exclaimed. Perhaps the most endearing part of his presentation was the way he and the little kids sitting in the first row would make funny faces at each other when the other people were talking.

At precisely 4:30 the program was over. The kids, yours truly included, surged around Mr. Bush for pictures and autographs. Then I proceeded to the White House press filing center, where the reporters plug in their laptops and write their stories. There was a desk for SARASOTA Magazine, set up right between Time and the New York Times. It occurred to me that we certainly are moving up in the world journalistically.

I must say I was very impressed with the White House reporters. They are the cream of the crop, mostly young, frighteningly intelligent and fearless, and incredibly hard workers. Under the most pressure were the broadcast journalists. These are the ones you see on the evening news, described by Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather as “traveling with the President.” Not only did they have to write their stories, they had to look good for their live feed on the 6:30 news. Soon a little line of them stood waiting, cans of hairspray in hand, to get their turn in the one men’s room.

All the reporters seemed quite excited about getting out of Jacksonville and going to Longboat Key, which they regarded as the lap of luxury. Several of the younger ones wondered if there was any surfing on Longboat. “Not with this red tide,” I warned them. There was much speculation as to whether the President would be having dinner with Katherine Harris, who they all seemed to know lives near the Colony, where they—and Mr. Bush— would be staying. The official line from the White House press people was that the President would be dining with the mayor of Jacksonville, who would be flying down with him on Air Force One. The mayor is a rising Republican star who can’t run again due to term limits. Apparently some sort of scheme is in the works to get him a Congressional seat.

At 6:45 we all got on buses to go out to the airport. The press plane that follows the President around was quite an experience. I had never been on an airplane like it–very luxurious, all first class, with special LazyBoy-type seats, tables covered with hors d’oeuvres. And even though the flight was only 50 minutes long, the flight attendants managed to serve a complete and rather tasty dinner, on china, with all the fixings. Upon landing in Sarasota we could see Air Force One in all its glory, parked close to the terminal building and splendidly lit against the night sky.  

The next morning the President was due at Booker Elementary for an event similar to the one at Jacksonville. I arrived just before eight; and the first thing I noticed were the protestors, herded behind an orange fence on MLK Drive, carrying banners decrying all sorts of things, mostly environmental. I checked in with the press desk and found our photographer Rebecca Baxter.

Inside the Booker media center most of the guests were already in place. Again, the school board was there in full force. The politicians from the day before had pretty much evaporated; just Congressman Dan Miller was present, chatting with reporters. The mood was light-hearted and anticipatory. I eavesdropped as one of the White House reporters filed a story about the President’s early morning activities. He’d jogged on the beach at the Colony, then “cooled down” for a while, then gone in for a big breakfast.

The first hint that anything was amiss came from Tampa Bay’s Channel 8 reporter, Jackie Barron. She was talking to her mother on her cell phone when suddenly her expression changed. Her mother, who was watching TV, had told her that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. Almost simultaneously Brian Goff from Fox News in Tampa heard the same thing over his cell phone. We all strained to listen, full of questions. It was a little Cessna, someone said. No, it was a 737, someone else said. The information seemed incredible, but there it was. Whatever had happened, one thing was certain. Our little event at Booker was clearly going to be bumped by something much more important.

By this time the President had arrived. He was in a classroom with a small group of students, reading to them, and being shown by a teacher how much their reading skills had increased.

In the media center a strange atmosphere prevailed. Many of the guests had not heard the news, but in the rear, where the press was gathered, attention had already shifted to the tragedy in New York. There was a feeling that we should leave–go back to our offices and find out more about what appeared at that moment to be a terrible accident.

Then, again over the ubiquitous cell phones, came the most shocking news of all. Another plane, this one definitely identified as a passenger jet, had crashed into the other tower. The reporters and photographers literally ran over to a small TV studio located off to the side of the media center, where for the first time we saw the images that have become all too familiar.

For 10 minutes or so, confusion reigned. Would the President be leaving immediately? Had he already left?

I saw Linda Carson from Sarasota’s Channel 40. She had been one of the two or three pool reporters with the President in the classroom when White House aide Andrew Card whispered into the President’s ear that there had been a terrorist attack. He looked like he had been kicked in the stomach.

Someone from the school board announced that the President would be making a short statement. An eerie silence descended over the room for several minutes as we all waited.

Mr. Bush entered looking grim and carrying several sheets of white paper. He made his now-famous remarks, which were brief and to the point, the only jarring note being his pledge to track down the “folks” responsible. I can only surmise that in moments of stress he reverts to the idiom of his Texas homeland. Then he grabbed his papers, hurriedly shook hands with Frank Brogan and Wilma Hamilton, and was gone.

What I saw, in retrospect, was the last moment in Chapter One of the Bush presidency. Never again would he be so carefree, so obviously enjoying himself, as he had been the previous afternoon in Jacksonville. In the media center of Emma Booker Elementary Chapter Two began, and nothing will ever be quite the same–for Mr. Bush and for the world.

SHOP TALK... Best buys and buzz from Marsha Fottler

Retail, fashion and design news…

Love shopping for fine art, but wish you could score a bargain? Then check out  Joyce Wishart’s new consignment art gallery, Provenance, opening in October. Now collectors who are downsizing, redecorating, or editing their inventory have a place to send their fine art for resale. And buyers will be able to acquire original paintings, sculpture and photography at big savings. Provenance is located at 1282 N. Palm Ave. in Sarasota. To talk with Joyce, selling or buying, call 366-6777.  

As part of its participation in Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), White + Warren, a maker of luxurious knitwear and separates, has fabricated a long-sleeved pink T-shirt, the sale of which will benefit cancer research. You can see and purchase the shirt at The Met on St. Armands Circle. Price $50.

Emporium Imports, a new, light and airy boutique at 6574 Gateway Ave. in Sarasota, features hand-blown, contemporary art glass from Czech masters such as Jan Exnar and Jaroslav Svoboda. There are platters, bowls, stemware, unusual vases and lots more. All very collectible and perfect for gifts. Emporium Imports is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Painted trompe l’oeil effects have become popular in upscale homes across the country. You could buy bundles of stencils and try it yourself, but amateurs rarely get the shading and shadowing right. Now, interior designer Kathleen Koszyk has invented a new kind of wallcovering that simulates sophisticated and complicated trompe l’oeil treatments. Available online and through catalog from a California company called Home and Dreams, the wallcoverings are easy to put up and provide you with immediate architectural illusions: a Provence fireplace; a Doric cornice; even an open doorway with a view to a garden. The murals are done on canvas and range from about $60 up to $300 each. To receive a catalog, call 1-800-805-3696 or go to www.homesandreams.com to see before and after photos.

A new man-made fiber from Dupont is making waves this fall: Tactel, a derivative of nylon. Fashion designers such as Carlos Miele, Randolph Duke, and Roberto Cavalli are praising the new fabric for its elasticity and glamorous drape. They say Tactel is versatile, modern, soft and really sexy. We’ll all see and feel for ourselves soon, as Seventh Avenue designers start cutting patterns using Tactel for couture and ready-to-wear as well.

Food and restaurant news… Lots more latte coming to Sarasota. Starbuck’s is constructing a new coffeehouse at the northwest corner of Beneva and Bee Ridge roads. Great news for the cappuccino crowd, but the intersection is already one of the busiest in the city. All the traffic in and out of Starbuck’s will probably make motorists drive like they’ve already had enough caffeine.

J.D. Ford recently had its grand re-opening and is now finding its niche in the local cuisine scene as a “comfortably refined wine bistro.” See if you agree by stopping in at 1925 S. Osprey Ave. in Southside Village. To see if they stock your favorite wine, call 362-9463.

Sarasota has a new steakhouse—Alamo Steakhouse Grill at the Holiday Inn, 6231 Lake Osprey Drive in Lakewood Ranch. Besides cast-iron skillet steak, the Southwestern menu features apple-wood-smoked ribs, brisket and pork. Alamo is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from 6:30 -10 p.m.

If you enjoy shopping at a real farmer’s market, check out Albritton’s Farm Fresh Saturday.  This indoor/outdoor traditional farmer’s market, open Saturdays from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., features fresh local produce, flowers, oven fresh breads, even cookbooks and party ideas. Find it all at Albritton Grove Market at 5947 Clark Center Ave., Sarasota. (1/8 mile east of McIntosh Road on Clark Road).

Our October Home & Garden Annual takes you into Sarasota’s most spectacular homes and landscapes, with a special look at the Sarasota School of Architecture.

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