Grounded flights
All airlines nationwide were grounded following the four hijackings and subsequent terrorist crashes.
In Luverne, that meant local travel agents weren't booking flights.

"We have been extremely slow today. Nobody wants to fly or even think about flying," said Stacy Mente at Roundwind Travel.

"I've just been concentrating on who I have flying now and figuring out how to get them to their destinations."

Sue Hoffman at Great Planes Travel, Luverne, helped Luverne residents Tom and Sandy Klein arrange for a rental car to drive home.

The Kleins were returning home from San Antonio when their flight was grounded in Kansas City Tuesday morning.

"It was pretty scary," Sandy told the Star Herald when they returned home Tuesday night.

"Our flight left San Antonio at 7:15 like it was supposed to, and an hour and a half later, the captain came on and said there had been a national emergency, and they were advised by the FAA that all planes needed to land at the nearest airport.

"The nearest airport was Kansas City, so we were diverted there.

"You could see out the window other planes circling around waiting to land, and we were pretty lucky because we were one of the first to land."

Klein said heightened security at the airport was very obvious, and police squad cars manned all entrances and exits.

She said they stood in line for two hours waiting for a rental car, and the only reason they got one was because they called Roundwind in Luverne to have one reserved.

Despite the long waits for luggage and rental cars, she said no one complained. "Everyone was so happy to be on the ground, knowing what was going on."

She said people were working together to carpool to get everyone home. In fact, the Kleins carpooled with a man from Minneapolis, who took the rental vehicle on with him after they retrieved their van in Sioux Falls.

At the Sioux Falls airport, she said the entrance was blocked and they had to persuade the police officer to let them get their vehicle.

"We're going to wake up tomorrow and it's going to seem like such a dream," Klein said.

She added that all their hassles in getting home seemed like a small price to pay, considering all the families mourning for victims on the East Coast.

Local effects
The East Coast terrorism was felt across the country as major centers of population were shut down, including the Mall of America in Bloomington and the Empire Mall in Sioux Falls.

Hardwick native Deb (Bruynes) Fick works for the Minnesota Department of Transportation building in St. Paul.

She e-mailed her sister, Sue Bruynes, Tuesday, about how the East Coast terrorism has affected the State Capitol.

"I can't believe there is another terrorist attack," she wrote. "Always makes me a little nervous to be working in a government building right by the Capitol!"

She and her co-workers spent much of the day Tuesday in a security lockdown with no access to current news via television or radio.

"All of our offices have been locked to the outside world, and security has been called in to all entrance points," she said via e-mail.

"Visitors are not allowed unless they are escorted by a Minnesota Department of Transportation employee."

In Rock County, schools and government offices were open as usual.

According to a spokesperson with the Minnesota National Guard, heightened security had been ordered at training and community centers around the state, but Army and Air Force Guard members were not placed on special notice as of Tuesday.

A prayer service, organized by the Rock County Ministerial Association, was Tuesday night in the Christian Reformed Church, Luverne.

By Lori Ehde
Tuesday dawned sunny and peaceful in Rock County, but news of the East Coast terrorist attacks quickly hit home for many local residents.

In what is being called the most deadly attack against the United States, hijackers crashed two commercial planes into the World Trade Center Tuesday morning. Within the same hour, another dived into the Pentagon and a fourth crashed outside of Pittsburgh.

Hills-Beaver Creek graduates Chris Fagerness and Matt Ebert are roommates in Washington, D.C., and contacted their parents in Hills after the terrorist attacks.

Their apartment is less than a mile from the Pentagon, and they spent a good share of their morning trying to get home - mostly on foot.

They spent much of the rest of the day watching television and viewing the destruction from the observation deck of their building.

They figured the terrorists had flown the hijacked plane directly over their apartment building before crashing it into the Pentagon.

"Even from my bedroom window I can see smoke pouring out of a gaping hole in the building," said Fagerness, son of Steve and Joan Fagerness. He is an assistant athletic trainer for a Washington, D.C., school that evacuated.

Ebert is a paralegal in the Justice Department. To get to work, he gets off the subway at the Pentagon. "It's freaky, because I was just in the Pentagon about an hour before the plane crashed into it."

Ebert, son of Gregg and Cyndi Ebert, described the scene as something he'd seen in the movie, "Independence Day."

"Cars were honking, people were scrambling to get out of the area and sirens were going," he said.

"It's tense, but it's remarkable how organized the chaos is. If this had happened in another country it'd be far worse, but here you can tell people are working together. All things considered, people are responding well to it."

Luverne graduate ordered to evacuate Senate building
Luverne High School grad Eric Steinhoff had been interning in Sen. Tom Daschle's office for only a week Tuesday when he was ordered to evacuate the Senate Office Building.

"When the planes hit the towers, that was bad, but it was still in New York. But then the Pentagon was hit, and they said, 'That's it. Everybody's clearing out,'" said Steinhoff, son of Dave and Joann Steinhoff, Luverne.

"We're a mile from the Pentagon, but our building is right across from the Capitol. Even before the Pentagon was attacked, a lot of people in our office were worried, because we knew if it was going to happen, this is where it's going to be."

He said it took him a long time to get home because traffic was gridlocked. He said it was equally as difficult to let his parents know he was OK because phone lines jammed.

"This is a tragic event, but it's pretty amazing being here," Steinhoff said. "I'm used to watching this stuff on TV, but now I'm here."

He said the city had been declared under a state of emergency, and as he spoke on the phone from his apartment, he could hear police sirens and see helicopters and military aircraft circling in the sky.

"I'm glad to be out of there," Steinhoff said of the evacuation from his office. "It's pretty traumatic. We left in such a hurry. You feel so vulnerable, too, because there's nothing you can do about it. It's American planes taken over and crashed."

Accounting for family
Luverne's Bill and Esther Beimers were among millions of Americans watching the horrific events unfold on television.

Their son, Tom, works and lives in Washington, D.C., and their other son, David, and his family were flying home to St. Paul from Maine that morning.

Fortunately, Tom called them soon after the news broke on major networks.

Tom, a 1987 LHS grad, was on his way to work Tuesday morning when he heard the news about the Trade Center terrorism.

"He was about to get on a bus to his downtown law office on Pennsylvania Avenue when he decided to take a cab instead," Bill said.

"They were stopped at a stoplight and he said there was a terrific explosion on the mall, and both he and the cab driver decided not to get closer. They turned the cab around and now Tom is at home."

Bill said Tom was close enough to see and feel the explosion, but he didn't see what caused it.

"He said there was low flying military aircraft in the area, but he didn't know if there was a crash or a bomb," Bill said.

Later that evening, Bill and Esther finally heard from David and Sarah, who were supposed to have departed from the Portland airport Wednesday.

They were traveling with their 4-year-old twin boys and infant daughter. Their flight remained canceled as of Wednesday.

By Lori Ehde
Under the threat of drastic price increases, local motorists lined up at the pumps Tuesday night to stock up on gasoline.

According to Rock County Co-op Oil Manager Jim Jellema, consumers overreacted to premature reports of shortages and price hikes.

He said it's true that prices in some parts of the country increased over the $5 mark, but that was where supplies had actually decreased due to panic buying.

"Everyone got excited thinking there was going to be a problem [as a result of the terrorism], so everyone started purchasing in fear of high prices," Jellema said.

"This created shortages at the pipelines, but that's about to be alleviated if they can just hang in there with us."

Regional media warned motorists that prices could be over $3 per gallon as early as Wednesday morning, so that's what prompted panic buying in Luverne Tuesday night.

In reality, local supplies were able to handle the extra business, so prices remained unchanged Wednesday.

Jellema said he purchased a load at 14 cents higher to handle the additional demand, so his pumps will reflect a slight increase for that load. The same may be true for other local gas stations if they were forced to buy at the increased price.

He said prices nationwide are likely to level off within a week once the pipelines have restored supplies.

The Great Plains Oliver Club sponsored Plow Day on Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Bill Kroon farm near Steen. Collectors from South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa participated with 10 Oliver tractors plowing and 48 people attending. The event is a chance to "travel back in time," according to Bill Kroon. "Not many people plow anymore," he said. "It was an opportunity to get people together and play in the dirt." Vicki Bennet and Jason Kroon help Bruce, Vicki's husband, plow a straight line. Vicki is Bill Kroon's niece visiting from Boston, Mass.

Charlotte Marshall Phalen, 87, Carson City, Nev., a native of Luverne, died Saturday, Aug. 25, 2001, in Carson City.

Services were Saturday, Sept. 1, at Walton's Carson Gardens in Carson City.

Charlotte Marshall was born to William and Ada Marshall on June 6, 1914, on a farm near Luverne. She attended rural school District 24 in Rock County and graduated from Luverne High School in 1931. She received a two-year diploma from Winona Teachers College in 1933 and graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, Nev., in 1958 with a bachelor of science in elementary education. She taught in rural school in Pipestone and Rock County for 15 years and Hawthorne, Nev., Elementary School for 21 years.

She married Joseph Phalen on Nov. 3, 1934, in Luverne. They lived in Jasper from 1938 to 1953 and then moved to Hawthorne.

They moved to Carson City in 1974 to enjoy their retirement years. Mrs. Phalen was active as a volunteer and a member of educational and retirement groups in Carson City. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Carson City.

Survivors include three daughters and sons-in-law, Delores and Don Pringle, Carson City, Azalia and Roy Alexander, Towanda, Kan., and Cheryl and Danny Nelson, Elk Grove, Calif.; seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Phalen was preceded in death by her husband in 1991.

Oliver W. Albee, 83, Amiret, died Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2001, at Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne
Services were Monday, Sept. 10, at Wesley United Methodist Church in Marshall. Burial was in Marshall Cemetery.

Oliver Wesley Albee was born to John Henry and Annabell (Killius) Albee on Aug. 8, 1918, in Sodus Township, Lyon County. He was baptized and confirmed in the Methodist faith. He attended country school. He entered the Army Air Corps on May 30, 1942. He was honorably discharged on Nov. 10, 1945.
He married Carrie Menuey Prescott on Feb. 17, 1948, in the Methodist church in Sioux Falls, S.D. They farmed in Sodus Township until he retired in 1985 but remained on the farm and spent many winters in Apache Junction, Ariz.

He enjoyed playing cards, old time music, dancing, fishing and just visiting with friends. He also enjoyed watering his son JohnÕs calves and playing with the dogs.

Survivors include his wife, Carrie Albee, Tracy; three sons and two daughters-in-law, Floyd and Betty (Paxton) Albee, Rochester, Jim and Monica (Lipinski) Albee, Marshall, and John Albee, Tracy; two daughters, Linda Shaw, Helena, Mont., and Susan Schmidt, Hudson, Wis.; foster children, Gene and Elsa Wilson, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and Ronnie Wilson, Colorado Springs, Colo.; 14 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; five foster grandchildren; and one sister, Mildred Wendorff, Tracy.

Mr. Albee was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Lloyd, two sisters, Viola Wendorff and June McDaniel and an infant sister.

Hamilton-Birk Funeral Home, Marshall, was in charge of arrangements.

Mildred Dohlmann, 80, Magnolia, died Saturday, Sept. 15 at the Parkview Manor Nursing Home, Ellsworth. Services will be Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 11 a.m. at the Magnolia Methodist Church with Rev. Chris Johnson officiating. Burial will be at Luverne Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Monday, Sept. 17 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne.

Kathleen Johnson, 44, Hardwick, died Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Luverne Community Hospital. Funeral mass will be Saturday, Sept. 15 at 11 a.m. at St. Catherine Catholic Church, Luverne, with Rev. Andrew Beerman officiating. Burial will be at St. Catherine's Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday, Sept. 14 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. and parish prayers at 7:30 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne.

Minnie J. Wood, 86, Truman, died Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2001, at Lutheran Retirement Home in Truman. She was the mother of Marge Noll of Luverne.

Services were Saturday, Sept. 8, at St. PaulÕs Lutheran Church in Truman. Burial was in Ridgelawn Memorial Park at Truman.

Minnie Johanna Themer was born to John and Minnie (Miller) Themer on Aug. 5, 1915, in Waverly Township, Martin County. She attended school in Truman and graduated from Truman High School in 1933 where she was class valedictorian. She then worked at WolfÕs Grocery and Huemoeller Hardware in Truman.

She married Harold Raymond Wood on June 27, 1937, in Waverly Township. They operated a feed grinding business in the Truman area. In 1948 she worked as a bookkeeper for Bosshart Construction in Truman until her retirement in 1979. They wintered in Mesa, Ariz., for many years. Mr. Wood died Jan. 18, 1987. In 1993 she entered Lakeview Methodist Health Care Center in Fairmont and in 1996 she moved to the Lutheran Retirement Home in Truman.

Mrs. Wood was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Truman where she was active in the Ladies Aid. She was also a member of the Oles-Reader-Bosshart American Legion Post No. 115 Auxiliary and Martin County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 36 Auxiliary. She was a past leader of Westford 4-H Club and a former member of Rose Lake Golf Club. She loved crossword puzzles, knitting, crocheting and golfing.

Survivors include two daughters and sons-in-law, Marge and Dale Knoll, Luverne, and Darla and Darryl Vilt, Waseca; six grandchildren, Timothy and Sharon Knoll, Brandon, S.D., Amy and Sidney Fitch, Spencer, Iowa, Beth and Joshua Fleming, Las Vegas, Nev., Thomas and Janet Knoll, Woodbury, Christopher and Kimberly Vilt, Plainfield, Ill., and Gregory and Stacy Vilt, Waseca; nine great-grandchildren; two brothers-in-law, Duane (Darlene) Kahler, Truman, and Lester (Lillian) Kahler, Austin; one sister-in-law, Ione Gray, Truman; many nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends.

Mrs. Wood was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Harold, one brother, Earl Themer, and one sister, Viola Barge.

Lakeview Funeral Home, Fairmont, was in charge of arrangements.