Identification Card
- Description
- World Trade Center identification card with red printed text at the top of the card that reads: "WORLD TRADE CENTER." A photo of Edward Lalor is in the lower right corner and a graphic of the Twin Towers appears in red on the left. "1203120" is printed in black on the far-left side of the card, and a sticker with the year "1988" is affixed in the center. There is a large black bar at the bottom. The back of the card includes typed text that reads: "John Hancock | Suit No. 3841 | Edward Lalor" with one handwritten signature for Edward Lalor and one signature for the authorized agent. The back of the card is discolored.
- Historical Notes
- Edward Lalor is a February 26, 1993 survivor. He used this identification card when he worked for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company at the World Trade Center.
Curator's Comment
On February 26, 1993, Edward Lalor was living in Cranford, NJ, working in lower Manhattan as a senior account manager for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company in the World Trade Center. He was in his office on the 38th floor of the North Tower seated at his desk, about to head to lunch with two of his colleagues, when he felt what he described as “a shockwave,” causing him to jump out of his chair.
Lalor, his coworkers, and a computer technician who was on site that day, decided to stay put and await an announcement from the building’s security office. Unaware that the public address system had been shorted by the thunderous explosion they had overheard—the result of a bomb detonating in basement parking garage—the group decided to towel the office entrance to prevent further smoke infiltration and then retreated to the back of the suite to await the arrival of responding firefighters.
Approximately two hours after the explosion, the smoke had dissipated enough to permit Lalor and his colleagues to head to the emergency exit and begin descending to street level. The stairwells were pitch dark. In response, the Hancock group formed a line, holding onto the railing with their right hands and onto the person in front of them with their left. Once safely out of the building, Lalor joined some of his colleagues for a drink at a local bar before heading home.
Lalor, his coworkers, and a computer technician who was on site that day, decided to stay put and await an announcement from the building’s security office. Unaware that the public address system had been shorted by the thunderous explosion they had overheard—the result of a bomb detonating in basement parking garage—the group decided to towel the office entrance to prevent further smoke infiltration and then retreated to the back of the suite to await the arrival of responding firefighters.
Approximately two hours after the explosion, the smoke had dissipated enough to permit Lalor and his colleagues to head to the emergency exit and begin descending to street level. The stairwells were pitch dark. In response, the Hancock group formed a line, holding onto the railing with their right hands and onto the person in front of them with their left. Once safely out of the building, Lalor joined some of his colleagues for a drink at a local bar before heading home.
- Accession Number: C.2025.31.4
- Dimensions: 2 1/8 in X 3 3/8 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 5.08 cm X 7.62 cm
- Source: Edward Lalor
- Credit Line: Gift of Edward Lalor
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