Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, Alexandra Brzezinski still remembers the moment her family realized something terrible had happened to her cousin, Christine Olender.
For Brzezinski, the anniversary is not simply a date in American history. It is a reminder of a woman she loved — a cousin known for her energy, warmth and unmistakable personality.
“Christine was really the firecracker,” Brzezinski recalled. “But we lost her on 9/11.”
Olender was 39 when she died at the World Trade Center. She was working as an assistant general manager at Windows on the World, the restaurant and event space on the 106th floor of the North Tower.
A morning that began with work
September 11, 2001, started as an unusually busy morning for Olender.
She had arrived early because a conference with dozens of guests was scheduled at Windows on the World. Brzezinski said Olender wanted everything to be ready before the guests arrived.
Then, shortly before 9 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower.
The situation inside the building quickly became chaotic. Smoke spread through the upper floors, leaving people inside with few options and little information about what was happening below.
Back in Chicago, Brzezinski’s family was watching the television in disbelief.
A neighbor had called and told them to turn on the TV. Once they saw the images coming from New York, the family’s attention immediately turned to Christine.
Her mother had spoken with her earlier that morning.
Then the calls became a painful attempt to find out whether Christine and the people with her were safe.
Christine tried to get help for the people around her
Among the records preserved from that morning are emergency calls made by Olender as conditions inside the tower worsened.
She was trying to get instructions about where her guests and employees could move to escape the smoke.
The calls show someone attempting to remain focused during an extraordinary emergency.
Olender reported that the smoke was getting worse and repeatedly sought direction from emergency personnel. At one point, she asked where in the building they could go without encountering the smoke.
She was told that emergency crews were working to reach them.
It was the last time her family would hear from her.
Her family eventually learned what happened
For weeks, the Olender family lived with uncertainty.
About a month after the attacks, Brzezinski said the family learned that Christine’s remains had been recovered at Ground Zero.
Her death left a permanent absence in the family.
The loss also became intertwined with other family milestones. Christine’s funeral was held on her aunt’s birthday, adding another painful memory to an already devastating period.
Today, many of the people who were closest to Christine are gone as well. Brzezinski said that has made her feel an even greater responsibility to continue telling Christine’s story.
Her memory continues in Chicago
Christine’s connection to Chicago has not disappeared.
She attended Resurrection College Prep High School, where her memory has remained part of the school’s community for years.
In 2026, on the 25th anniversary of the attacks, Resurrection again honored Olender, describing her as a member of the Class of 1980 whose legacy continues through the school.
A scholarship established in Christine’s name now helps support Resurrection students, allowing younger generations to learn about a woman they never had the chance to meet.
The school has also preserved other reminders of her life, helping keep her story connected to students and alumnae decades after her death.
Her name is also permanently included among those remembered at the National September 11 Memorial.
A life remembered beyond the tragedy
It can be easy for the people who died on September 11 to become names associated with one terrible day.
Brzezinski wants people to remember that Christine’s life was much bigger than the circumstances of her death.
She remembers her cousin as someone with a lively personality who loved her family and took pride in her work.
That is also how Christine has continued to be remembered at Resurrection — not simply as one of the people killed on September 11, but as a daughter, cousin, student, professional and friend whose life mattered before that day.
The 25th anniversary has brought renewed attention across the country to the people who were lost and to the families who have carried their memories forward. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s anniversary observance this year included the reading of the names of those killed in the 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
For Brzezinski, remembering Christine is part of something larger.
“Not only Christine’s legacy, and what she went through that day, but all 3,000 families are remembered,” she said. “That history is never forgotten.”
Brzezinski has not flown on an airplane since September 11, 2001. The memories remain too painful.
But 25 years later, she continues to tell Christine’s story.
And for a family that lost someone they loved on one of the darkest days in American history, remembering her is one way of making sure Christine Olender remains more than a name from the past.
