I never met Jim Berger. I don’t even remember hearing his name before 9/11.
My wife used to work for the Chicago office of Aon Consulting. A couple of times, she visited the company’s offices in New York City, and met a bunch of people there, including a Senior Vice President named Jim Berger. She liked him and thought he was a great guy.
The Aon offices in New York were located high up in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. They lost 175 people that day, including Jim Berger. When the first plane hit the other tower, he started evacuating his employees. Jim Berger was last seen in the elevator lobby, helping people get out of the tower.
Berger’s favorite song was Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road.” Springsteen heard about this and sent the Berger family a video of a special solo performance, which was played at his memorial service.
I didn’t personally know anyone who died in the attacks of 9/11, so the fact that my wife knew Jim Berger is as close as I come to a 9/11 connection. I don’t claim to have any strong feelings about his death, but when September 11 comes around, I end up thinking about him.
If any of Berger’s family or friends come across this post, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I wish I didn’t have to think about Jim Berger.
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