West County Woman Spurred to Action the Morning of 9/11

When 73-year-old Gladys Stannard of West County turned on the television the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, she first thought “they were just making another one of those damn movies that scare the heck out of people.”

After she realized it was a live broadcast, she saw the second plane hit the Twin Towers. First she called her neighbor Katie, a flight attendant, to make sure she was not on either of the planes. The second call she made was to her local Red Cross to find out how she could help. 

(Click here for a look at a compilation of local 9/11 stories.)

Ever since that day, Gladys has been active in both the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross as well as her local Community Emergency Response Team. During her eight-hour shifts with Red Cross’s Disaster Action Team (DAT), she and her co-workers monitor police channels and respond to fires and other disasters. 

Stannard’s team, headquartered in Creve Coeur, is active across the Greater St. Louis Area. She said she has responded to many fires in Manchester, working in conjunction with

“When you get to a fire run by that group, it’s going to be a well-run fire,” Stannard said. “We’re going to be able to get good information from them.”

DAT uses the information provided by the firefighters on the scene to figure out how best to provide immediate food and shelter to the victims. The organization also helps victims contact loved ones and file insurance claims.

“Though many times out in our area, people will have insurance and their needs on one level are not as great, their emotional needs are just as great,” Stannard said.

And Stannard said in many ways, the most important part of her work is fulfilling those emotional needs of fire and disaster victims. 

“By showing up we are showing people that someone cares,” Stannard said. “We’re here because we care, and what we do is a gift from the American people. We spend a lot of time hugging and talking about what they have left and getting them to focus on the positive fact that they’re all OK.”

Stannard’s work has extended well outside the St. Louis metro area. She has aided in tornado clean-up and rescue efforts in both Virginia and Oklahoma. But no matter the state, Stannad said that the loss of things always pales in comparison to the loss of life.

“One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was a lady’s dog died (in a fire) and she asked me—the firemen had taken it and covered up—would I go with her to see her dog. And basically what I did was, I went with her. I uncovered the dog,” she said. “I got down on the ground with her, and we talked about the dog...that was emotionally draining, but that’s what that lady needed.”

On the morning of 9/11, Stannard said there was a reason she contacted the Red Cross instead of any other organization.

In her hometown of Williams County, ND, Stannard’s mother was the only paid member of the local Red Cross in the area. Stannard said her mother founded the first blood bank in Williams County.

Stannard always had it in the back of mind to follow in her mother’s footsteps and volunteer, but 40 years in teaching followed by many years of heavy travel in her retirement kept her from doing so. But Sept. 11 spurred her to act.

“You get so much back by doing this,” Stannard said. “I’ve never yet gone to a fire when I don’t come home and—I happen to be religious—and say ‘Thank you God for keeping me safe, and I thank you God for my family and everything I have.’”

Stannard said she plans on remaining active in both organizations another two decades, “at least until I’m 93 or 94.”

For the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Stannard said she will attend church services and likely spend some time with her Red Cross friends and co-workers.

“Nine-eleven reminds me how lucky I am, how fortunate I am to have been born in America, because I have so much more than most of the world,” she said. “I’ve traveled enough I’ve seen the difference, it’s not like someone just told me about it.”

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