The Man in the Red Bandanna
Third graders observed the anniversary of September 11 by reading a book called "The Man in the Red Bandanna". The book is about Welles Crowther who worked on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center. He was also a volunteer firefighter. When he was 6 years old his father had given him a red bandanna along with a nice handkerchief. His father had explained that the nice handkerchief was for show and the bandanna was "for blow." Welles kept that red bandanna throughout his life using for a mask, a flag to signal the end of a race, and a headband to keep the sweat from his eyes while he played lacrosse at Boston College.
On September 11th when the World Trade Center was hit Welles immediately started helping people get out of the building using his bandanna to keep the smoke out of his nose and throat. Welles lost his life that day helping others. Several months later when his mother was reading the accounts of some survivors she read that a woman had been helped out of the building by a man in a red bandanna and then he returned to help others.
Third graders wore bandannas at school on September 11, 2017 and throughout the week to represent the kind of person Welles was and the kind of people they would like to be; thoughtful, caring, courageous, and willing to help others.