“Everybody is waiting on the elevator to go down. The doors open. I stepped in, went downstairs. We are now on the lobby level. The doors open up in front of me, and the security guard says, ‘Where are you going?’ I replied, ‘I’m going home.’ ‘Why?’ ‘I saw fireballs falling through the sky.’ ‘Your building is safe and secure. Go back to your office.’ The doors of the elevator were trying to close. ‘Come on, Stan the man, we don’t have all day here.’”
Tucked away on the 81st floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower, Stanley Praimnath worked as an assistant Vice President for Fuji Bank, Limited. His office overlooked New York City. Standing at the colossal windows encasing the room, he could see remarkable landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and a small portion of the North Tower. On September 11, 2001, Praimnath saw another remarkable sight: a hijacked plane barreling towards the building.
In 2024, ELA teacher and The Oracle advisor Mr. Eric Schott sent a shot-in-the-dark letter to Praimnath asking if he’d be willing to do an interview with The Oracle. Mr. Schott shows a National Geographic documentary “Inside 9-11, Zero Hour” which includes Praimnath and other survivors’ stories to his Honors World Literature classes each year. Schott was surprised when Praimnath replied, but even more surprised when he said he would visit Shaler Area in person.
On April 20, 2026, Praimnath told his amazing story to students at Shaler Area High School. His visit was originally planned for May 2025, but after driving from Long Island, NY last year, school was cancelled the day he was scheduled to speak due to storms that disrupted power in the area.
“I was crushed. I felt awful for the students but also for Stanley and his wife who had driven from Long Island to do this,” Mr. Schott, who organized the visit said. “I mean what are the odds of school getting cancelled in May? Luckily, Stanley took it in stride and told me, ‘I guess it wasn’t meant to be.’ I had no intention of asking him to come back. That seemed like too much to ask. But he brought it up in a text over the summer saying he’d be happy to come back and to start planning.”
By the grace of his unselfishness, he returned to Shaler Area this year and shared his harrowing experience on that fateful day.
He talked about everything from the impact of Flight 175 on his office, to his improbable escape from the impact zone, to finally returning home and not being recognized by his children. He refused to go to a hospital but insisted on seeing his doctor after he “lost it”.
“I’m lying down in the doctor’s bed. I can hear every word that he is saying. But, I just couldn’t respond in speech. I lost everything. I lost my memory. I lost my health – everything,” Praimnath said. “I can hear this doctor telling somebody on the phone, ‘this man lying here, has lost it. He is crazy. It might take a day, a month, a week, a year, for him to come out of it, but there’s no guarantee.’”
Praimnath’s recovery started when he saw some news coverage of the September 11 attacks.
“They are saying, September’s got 9 letters, 911 is where you make emergency calls, and she went on 911 and she was going on, and on, and on. And all I could hear in my head is our pastor saying the same thing over and over and over. I said ‘Jenny, get me my Bible.’ I will tell you what I was reading. I was reading Psalm 91, verse 1. That’s 9, 1, 1, right there. He who dwells in a secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. I could remember things. I was able to remember faces and places, and I started to heal.”
It was one of many almost unbelievable stories Praimnath shared that was impactful for everyone who was in attendance.
“I am incredibly grateful to Mr. Schott for inviting us to attend. I vividly remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first learned, from afar, about the events of the September 11 attacks. To be in the same room and hear, in such detail, how Stanley survived was truly incredible and a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Mrs. Abbey Nilson, Shaler’s CHS Sustainability teacher.
Students were moved by Praimnath’s story, with many stating how it will always resonate with them, even though no student in the high school was alive when 9-11 occurred.
“Emotional would be an understatement,” junior Maddy Hannan said, “with a heavy story like that, he still remained human and was a fantastic storyteller throughout the violent events.”
Each and every person left the auditorium with a new perspective on the events of September 11. Senior Chloe Wandel, one of Ms. Nilson’s Sustainability students, was especially affected by what she learned.
“I think his resilience in believing is really powerful. I think it was a good message that he put out to never stop believing. That is something that will stick with me when I think about 9/11,” senior Chloe Wandel, one of Ms. Nilson’s Sustainability students, said. “The part of Stanley’s story that kept me thinking was the part when he talked about the people he worked with at the World Trade Center. He talked about all these people he had a close relationship with, and he never saw them after that point and that they died. It made me realize to be more grateful for everyone around me because you never know when they will leave.”
Mr. Cory Williams, AP US History teacher, brought his classes as well to hear Praimnath’s message, but that message meant just as much to Williams as his students.
“Stanley’s story has caused me to double down on my efforts to focus on humanity in the interactions I have with others, in the historical events that I teach about, and in the news of the world,” Williams said. “By focusing on our commonalities, instead of arbitrarily contrived differences, I hope that I can make others feel stronger in their pursuits and less alone in the process of living.”
Following his speech in the auditorium, Praimnath participated in a small group interview with The Oracle. Student journalists were able to speak directly to him. At the end, he left closed with a parting message.
“I want you to remember one thing. Do not forget. Within a little bit, some of you will forget what happened on 9/11. So I want you to remember, be vigilant, be alert. All these men and women, they were good people who passed away. Their children did not deserve that. So, remember is the word. Remember 9/11. Do not ever forget.”
For those that were there, it will be hard to forget after hearing Praimnath’s story.
“It was a lot of work to pull this off, but it was very rewarding to see the students in attendance fully engaged in listening to his stories and then watch them ask for pictures with him or even give him a hug,” Mr. Schott said. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. While I hope the 9-11 stories stick with everyone, I hope people remember Stanley for his unselfishness. He traveled here twice to present this message and asked for nothing. We need more people like Stanley who put others before themselves.”
