LOUISA, Ky. — Rotary met on Thursday, September 15th for their regular meeting. The meeting began with recognizing the recent birthday of Kimberly Compton and quickly moving to the outcome of Septemberfest.
President Lindsey Case announced that they had made more money at the Septemberfest booth than ever before. She graciously thanked everyone that took time out of their lives to come and help. She showed a video of pictures that she had compiled with “Takin Care Of Buisness” as the theme song.
After the video, she announced the speaker who is the husband of her best friend and a survivor of 9/11. Ronnie Spence, 37 originally from Delbarton, WV, was fresh out of college in September of 2001. He had snagged a job in Louisville at Stanley Morgan at the age of 22. This job took him to New York for training, in the World Trade Center Tower 2.
Spence explained examples that he described as more than coincidence, maybe divine intervention.
“Things never felt right, from the time I arrived there. I soon figured out why,” Spence said. He explained his entire day of September 11th, and how it came to pass that he and his friend made it out.
“If we had listened to what the intercom said, I wouldn’t be standing here today talking to you,” he said. “One of the hardest things I’ve dealt with is survivor’s guilt. I was 22, no kids and no wife. Why was I alive when many of the people that died had those things!”
Spence described some of the horror that surrounded the incident. Some that would make you ‘cringe’. “I now know why, for my wife and my two beautiful girls. That’s why I am here!” he said.
