Mt. Lebanon man rises above Sept. 11 tragedy
On any ordinary day, not just on Sept. 11 anniversaries, Tom Etzel of Mt. Lebanon can wrestle with his feelings
“Out of the blue, the raw emotions still come up and I get tears in my eyes,” he said.
Etzel thinks of the niece and friend he lost 25 years ago when two hijacked airliners crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.
Katie McCloskey, 25, was working on the 97th floor of 1 World Trade Center, staffing the computer help desk of Directfit Inc. Bethel Park native Ken Waldie, 46, was aboard American Airlines Flight 11 that struck the North Tower.
“Katie would have been 50 this year,” Etzel said. “She was so dear. It’s hard not to wonder what Katie looked like and what she would have done.
“Ken was a fierce competitor,” Etzel added of Waldie, who swam at Bethel Park High School as well as at the U.S. Naval Academy. “Even raking leaves in the front yard, he would make a game of it, but the most impressive thing about Ken Waldie was his humility. I valued his friendship and marveled at his willingness to help others.”
In the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy and over the passage of 25 years, Etzel has channeled his grief, anger and despair into hope, positive action and peace. He will speak about the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and his personal journey during two free events at two local libraries this week.
On Sept. 9, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Etzel will speak at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall located at 300 Beechwood Ave.
On Sept. 10, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Etzel will talk at the Bethel Park Public Library located at 5100 W. Library Ave. Registration is required. Visit the events calendar at www.bethelparklibrary.org for details.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, Etzel has established a global nonprofit organization and written a book.
“It’s been a huge growth experience,” Etzel said.
Etzel, who is a CPA and financial adviser, studied at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a world-renowned Tufts University graduate school of international studies, to learn how to help reduce violent conflict in the world and prevent another 9/11 event. His thesis became the cornerstone of the Global Peace Building Foundation (GPBF), which he established six weeks after earning his master’s degree.
In 2024, Etzel published a memoir. “Within Our Grasp: Changing Ourselves and the World” documents his journey from despair to hope as well as his path to healing and compassion.
“The one thing I learned is that you have to get beyond yourself. The self pity and despair,” he said. “Steer that energy into love. It was a purposeful decision to not go down the path of retribution and not get into that dark space of despair.
“It’s worked and continues to, but that’s not to say I don’t have sad moments,” he continued. “The hardest part is doing the presentations. It’s hard not to get emotional when you talk about that day.”
While Etzel will have books to distribute during his presentation, they can be ordered and purchased online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Indigo, Hudson Booksellers and Indie Bound, among others. A portion of the proceeds are donated to the GPBF.
“My intention was not to make money but more to increase awareness of GPBF and its work and to give it to younger people as a gift to help them work through life’s challenges and give them some tools to get through the rough spots.”
On Friday, Sept. 11, Etzel will launch a podcast with his son, Mark. The monthly episodes will include audio as well as video. They will typically run from 20 to 40 minutes.
“It’s storytelling. About people who have overcome obstacles or severe setbacks,” Etzel said. “How they have turned something bad into good.”
Steve McGinnis will be featured in the October podcast. McGinnis and Etzel were both 1973 Bethel Park High School graduates who played on the basketball team. McGinnis founded the Friends of Waldie organization, which established a scholarship fund in remembrance of Ken Waldie, raising more than a quarter-million dollars.
“Through my whole journey there have been people that have lifted me up. That was one of the reasons for developing the podcast,” Etzel said. “Even to this day, there are people who have come into my life.
“Steve is one of those guys,” he continued. “I am still in awe of him and what he has been able to do with the Waldie Fund and how he was able to get the community to come together and raise all that money. We can’t believe how well it went. Nor did we think it would get this far. When we started it, we didn’t have a clue.”
As survivors become more removed from 9/11 and a whole generation reads about it in history books, Etzel hopes to keep the date on people’s “radar” by his own testimonials. He has requested to speak to students at Duquesne and Tufts Universities as well as Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park high schools.
“I think it’s important to remember and not forget,” he said. “We have to work on it though.
“It’s part of history for kids today but they still can gain some first-hand knowledge by educators keeping it current.
“In a way, I congratulate America for its memorial sites because that’s preserving history. We want to and should honor and recognize all the people that lost their lives, including the first responders, and pray for their families.”
Etzel also implores the public, on this anniversary and every day, to be kind and silence hatred.
“The way the country came together immediately (after 9/11) was wonderful,” he said. “That’s not the state now. The spread of hate that exists today in the world is harmful. We need more love and less hate.
“What we can do is spread love. It’s a tall task but it’s worth making the effort,” he said.