John Ogonowski

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John Ogonowski
12.6.11JohnOgonowskiPanelN-74ByLuigiNovi1.jpg
Ogonowski's name is located on Panel N-74 of the National September 11 Memorial’s North Pool, along with those of other passengers of American Airlines Flight 11.
Born(1951-02-24)February 24, 1951
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.[1]
DiedSeptember 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 50)
On board American Airlines Flight 11, approximately in the air over Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. or New York, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationPilot
Spouse(s)Margaret
ChildrenLaura Ogonowski, Caroline Ogonowski, Mary Catherine Ogonowski
The names of passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 11 are seen on Panel N-74 of the North Pool of the National September 11 Memorial in Manhattan.

John Alexander Ogonowski (February 24, 1951 – September 11, 2001) was an American pilot and an agricultural activist. A resident of Dracut, Massachusetts, Ogonowski was a leading advocate on behalf of farming in Massachusetts, particularly in aiding immigrant farmers from Cambodia,[2] whom he assisted as part of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. He was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, which was hijacked by terrorists and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the September 11 attacks.

Biography[]

John Alexander Ogonowski was born February 24, 1951 in Lowell, Massachusetts, where he was raised.[1] He attended St. Stanislaus School, Keith Academy in Lowell. He attended Lowell Technological Institute (now the University of Massachusetts Lowell), where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.[1][3] He graduated in 1972 with a bachelor of science degree in Nuclear Engineering.[citation needed]

Ogonowski was a pilot in the U. S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, assigned to Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, ferrying equipment to Asia and sometimes transporting the bodies of fallen in C-141 transport aircraft. Following his service commitment, he resigned his commission under honorable conditions and separated from the military with the rank of captain.[1][4]

Ogonowski became a commercial pilot in 1978. For 23 years, he flew airplanes for American Airlines, and was a member of the Allied Pilot Association.[1][5] Ogonowski had joined the airline as a flight engineer after serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, when he flew C-141 transport planes back and forth across the Pacific. Some of his return flights bore flag-draped coffins.[6]

During the course of his commercial piloting career, he met Margaret, a flight attendant[1][5] who went by the nickname "Peggy",[7] whom he later married.[1][5]

Ogonowski was also an avid farmer, who secured 150 acres of farmland on Marsh Hill Road in Dracut through the federal Agriculture Preservation Restriction program. He raised hay, corn, pumpkins, blueberries, and peaches.[1] He was a leading advocate for farming in Massachusetts, particularly in aiding immigrant farmers from Cambodia.[2]

September 11 attacks[]

Ogonowski roused himself before dawn on September 11, moving quietly in the dark to avoid waking his wife, Peg, or their three daughters. He slipped on his uniform and kissed Peg goodbye as she slept. As the sun rose that morning, he stepped out the back door. He climbed into his dirt-caked green Chevy pickup, with hay on the floor and a bumper sticker that read "THERE'S NO FARMING WITHOUT FARMERS." he drove a meandering route as he left the land he loved. He could see the plots he'd set aside for the Cambodian immigrants, plus five acres of ripening pumpkins and ten acres of fodder corn whose stalks would be sold as decorations for Halloween and Thanksgiving. John steered down the long dirt driveway, through the white wooden gate that gave the farm its name. He passed the home of his uncle Al and tooted his horn in a ritual family greeting. It was nearly six o'clock. John drove southeast towards the airport, reading to take his seat in the cockpit. He expected to be home before the weekend, for a family picnic.[1][8]

Ogonowski and his co-pilot were attacked on September 11, 2001, while at the controls during the hijacking of American Airlines Flight 11.[citation needed] It is believed that the hijackers forcibly entered the cockpit and either murdered or incapacitated Ogonowski and First Officer Thomas McGuinness.[9] At one second before 8:18 a.m., flight controllers at Boston Center heard a brief, unknown sound on the radio frequency used by Flight 11 and other nearby flights. They didn’t know where it came from, and they couldn’t be certain, but it possibly sounded like a scream.[10] The airplane was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.[5]

Legacy[]

Ogonowski was survived by his wife Margaret and daughters Laura, Caroline, and Mary Catherine.[5] His younger brother, Jim Ogonowski, who is also an agricultural activist, made an unsuccessful run for the United States House of Representatives in 2007.[11]

In 2002, Ogonowski and Flight 11 flight attendants Betty Ong and Madeline Amy Sweeney were the inaugural recipients of the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery,[12][13] an honor that the Government of Massachusetts instituted to award annually at least one Massachusetts resident for displaying extraordinary courage in defending or saving the lives of others.[14]

A remote controlled model aircraft flying field in nearby Tewksbury, Massachusetts, has been dedicated to Captain Ogonowski.[15] The University of Massachusetts Lowell, Ogonowski was posthumously presented an honorary doctorate at the 2003 commencement ceremony at Tsongas Arena.[3]

The USAID Farmer to Farmer program was renamed the "John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter FTF Program" as part of the 2008 Farm Bill.[16]

At the National 9/11 Memorial, Ogonowski is memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-74 adjacent to the name of Kathleen A. Nicosia, a friend and flight attendant also killed on board American Airlines Flight 11 that day.[17]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "John Ogonowski, of Dracut, pilot for American Airlines". Remember September 11, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Niki Tsongas Backs Away From Supporter's Attack on Opponent With Notable Family History". Fox News. October 13, 2007. Archived from the original on June 6, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b 2010 Pi Lambda Phi Membership Directory
  4. ^ "John Ogonowski: Captain on the Farm". The New York Times. December 3, 2001. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Rosin, Hanna; Ferdinand, Pamela (September 12, 2001). "At Logan Airport, Nobody Saw Plane's Sharp Turn South". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2021.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Zuckoff, Mitchell (September 16, 2001). "Reliving the morning of death". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  7. ^ Perry, David (September 11, 2006). "For pilot's widow, life goes on. 'It has to.'". The Lowell Sun.
  8. ^ Mitchell Zuckoff (September 16, 2001). "Reliving the morning of death". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  9. ^ Lisinski, Chris (September 18, 2017). "For pilot's widow, life goes on. 'It has to.' – Lowell Sun Online". Lowellsun.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  10. ^ "FAA Summary of Air Traffic Hijack Events, September 11, 2001" (PDF).
  11. ^ Edward Mason and Crystal Bozek (2007-10-17). "Tsongas wins tight race". Eagle Tribune. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2010-03-10.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  12. ^ "Flight 11 crew honored for civilian bravery". Associated Press. February 12, 2002. Archived from the original on November 4, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2021 – via The Standard-Times.
  13. ^ Tangeny, Chris (February 12, 2002). "Heroes' Moment Honors Trio on Flight 11 Will Recognize Courage". The Boston Globe. ProQuest 405443436.
  14. ^ "Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery: 2006 Nomination Form". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2006. Archived from the original on June 8, 2006.
  15. ^ Captain John A. Ogonowski Memorial Model Flying Field" (Pinnacle Street) - Tewksbury, Massachusetts Archived 2007-09-04 at the Wayback Machine at The 495th R/C Squadron
  16. ^ The John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program US Agency for International Development
  17. ^ "North Pool: Panel N-74 - John A. Ogonowski". National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.

External links[]

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