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Coordinates: 40°42′42.1″N 74°0′49.0″W / 40.711694°N 74.013611°W / 40.711694; -74.013611
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==On September 11, 2001==
==On September 11, 2001==
[[File:12.6.11BillBiggartPanelS-66ByLuigiNovi1.jpg|thumb|left|Biggart’s name is located on Panel S-66 of the [[National September 11 Memorial]]'s South Pool, along with those of other passengers of Flight 77.]]On the morning of September 11, 2011, a taxi driver alerted Biggart to the fact that a plane had just crashed into the [[World Trade Center]].{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} Biggart ran home to collect his cameras and headed to the Center. The images he took of the destruction caused by the attacks would be his last. At one point he called his wife moments to say he was safe. Moments later, he took his last photo at 10:28:24 am EST.<ref name=Newsweek/><ref name=GUP/><ref name=straitstimes>{{cite news|first=Nilanjana |last=Sengupta |title=Snapshots of a disaster |newspaper=[[The Straits Times]]|date=2011-09-10}}</ref> Biggart was killed by falling debris from the collapse of the second tower<ref name=DallasNews/> (the North Tower), which fell at 10:28 am.<ref name="WPCollapse">{{Cite news|first=Bill |last=Miller |title=Report Assesses Trade Center's Collapse |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A11614-2002Apr30?language=printer|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 1, 2002}}</ref> His last photograph was presented as a highlight of the 2002 exhibit at the [[National Museum of American History]].<ref>{{cite web|title=2002 Exhibition Highlights |publisher=[[National Museum of American History]]|url=http://amhistory.si.edu/september11/exhibition/|accessdate=2013-03-01}}</ref>
[[File:12.6.11BillBiggartPanelS-66ByLuigiNovi1.jpg|thumb|left|Biggart’s name is located on Panel S-66 of the [[National September 11 Memorial]]'s South Pool, along with those of other passengers of Flight 77.]]On the morning of September 11, 2011, a taxi driver alerted Biggart to the fact that a plane had just crashed into the [[World Trade Center]]. Biggart ran home, grabbed three cameras (two film, one digital) and began walking toward the Center, shooting photographs on the way, eventually finding himself shooting straight up at the burning Twin Towers, as indicated by his photos, which would be his last.


In the days following the tower's collapse, Biggart reported among the missing, and his wife searched for him at news agencies and in the hospitals.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jennifer |last=Lin |title=As hopes fade, aching sorrow sets in; Passersby memorialize the fallen on the hulk of a charred fire truck |newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=2001-09-14|url=http://articles.philly.com/2001-09-14/news/25312673_1_fire-truck-body-bags-morgue/2}}</ref> Four days later his body and his camera equipment was recovered under the debris.<ref name="cbsnews"/>
After being overtaken by the dust cloud, he photographed the destruction in the area. His wife, Wendy, called Biggart on his cell phone shortly after the first tower fell. He told her not to worry, saying that he would meet her in 20 minutes at his studio, and assured her, "I'm safe. I'm with the firemen." It was the last time they ever spoke.<ref name=OfficialSite>[http://www.billbiggart.com/911.html "September 11th"]. Bill Biggart: Photographer. Retrieved March 1, 2013.</ref> He took his last photo at 10:28:24 am EST.<ref name=Newsweek/><ref name=GUP/><ref name=straitstimes>{{cite news|first=Nilanjana |last=Sengupta |title=Snapshots of a disaster |newspaper=[[The Straits Times]]|date=2011-09-10}}</ref> About twenty minutes after the phone call,<ref name=OfficialSite/> at 10:28 am, the North Tower collapsed,<ref name="WPCollapse">{{Cite news|first=Bill |last=Miller |title=Report Assesses Trade Center's Collapse |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A11614-2002Apr30?language=printer|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 1, 2002}}</ref> and falling debris of which killed Biggart.<ref name=DallasNews/> His last photograph was presented as a highlight of the 2002 exhibit at the [[National Museum of American History]].<ref>{{cite web|title=2002 Exhibition Highlights |publisher=[[National Museum of American History]]|url=http://amhistory.si.edu/september11/exhibition/|accessdate=2013-03-01}}</ref> In the days following the tower's collapse, Biggart reported among the missing, and his wife searched for him at news agencies and in the hospitals.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jennifer |last=Lin |title=As hopes fade, aching sorrow sets in; Passersby memorialize the fallen on the hulk of a charred fire truck |newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=2001-09-14|url=http://articles.philly.com/2001-09-14/news/25312673_1_fire-truck-body-bags-morgue/2}}</ref> Four days later his body and his camera equipment was recovered under the debris.<ref name="cbsnews"/>


Biggart had three cameras with him and he used them to take digital, color film and slide images.<ref name=straitstimes/> Biggart's friend, photographer Chip East, was able to recover 154 images from Biggart's digital storage devices, which have become part of the exhibits of Biggart's most well-known photographs.<ref name=Newsweek/><ref name=irish/><ref name=nytsmithsonian/>
Biggart had three cameras with him and he used them to take digital, color film and slide images.<ref name=straitstimes/> Biggart's friend, photographer Chip East, was able to recover 154 images from Biggart's digital storage devices, which have become part of the exhibits of Biggart's most well-known photographs.<ref name=Newsweek/><ref name=irish/><ref name=nytsmithsonian/>

Revision as of 15:57, 1 March 2013

William G. Biggart
Born (1947-07-20) July 20, 1947 (age 77)
Berlin, Germany
DiedSeptember 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 54)
Cause of deathterrorism; fallen debris
Body discoveredSeptember 15, 2001
Resting place40°42′42.1″N 74°0′49.0″W / 40.711694°N 74.013611°W / 40.711694; -74.013611
MonumentsWorld Trade Center site
(New York City), Panel S-66 National September 11 Memorial
Years activesince 1985[1]
Employer(s)Impact Visuals, agency
SpouseWendy Doremus
ChildrenWilliam Biggart Jr (first marriage) and Kate and Peter Biggart (second marriage)[2][1]
Websitewww.billbiggart.com

William G. Biggart (July 20, 1947 – September 11, 2001) was an American freelance photojournalist and a victim of the September 11 attacks, notable for his street-view photographs of the event before being killed by the collapse of the World Trade Center's North Tower and for being the only professional, working journalist to be killed in the attacks.[2][1][4]

On 15 September 2001, his remains were discovered along with a bag containing his three cameras and the CompactFlash card from which his last photographs were recovered. The photos were used in the 15 October 2001 issue of Newsweek.[1][5][6][7] His photographs from 9/11 were exhibited at the International Center of Photography and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.[5][8][9] They have also been preserved on the Internet by The DigitalJournalist.[10]

Personal life

As a child of an American officer stationed in Germany, Bill Biggart was born in Berlin in 1947.[11][12] As an adult, he moved into a loft in Lower Manhattan, New York City, about the same time that the WTC was opening in the 1970s.[3]

Biggart was married twice and had three children. He had one son from his first marriage. Biggart's second wife was Wendy Doremus and they had two children.[1][2]

Career

Biggart began his career as a commercial photographer.[1] While a commercial photographer, he began to pursue his interest in spot news photography and was at Wounded Knee to photograph the 1973 event.[13] As a commercial photographer, he would sometimes taking jobs for theater productions.[14] With a passion for news, he transitioned to photojournalism in 1985.[5][12] His photojournalism credits are found in the international stories he covered in the West Bank and Israel in 1988,[15][16] Northern Ireland, and the first gulf war.[1][11][12] He was also frequently credited for photographs that captured news events closer to his home in New York City, such as a NYC subway shot of "subway vigilante" Bernhard Goetz,[1][17] Howard Beach,[11] or the 1989 funeral of Yusuf Hawkins.[18] He was also present in Berlin to photograph the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.[12][13]

Biggart began working for the Impact Visuals photo news agency in 1988 and he continued to work there until he was killed.[1][6][19] He also worked as a freelance photographer for Reuters, Agence France Press, and Sipa Press.[13] His work appeared in the The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, The Village Voice and The City Sun.[6][13]

On September 11, 2001

Biggart’s name is located on Panel S-66 of the National September 11 Memorial's South Pool, along with those of other passengers of Flight 77.

On the morning of September 11, 2011, a taxi driver alerted Biggart to the fact that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. Biggart ran home, grabbed three cameras (two film, one digital) and began walking toward the Center, shooting photographs on the way, eventually finding himself shooting straight up at the burning Twin Towers, as indicated by his photos, which would be his last.

After being overtaken by the dust cloud, he photographed the destruction in the area. His wife, Wendy, called Biggart on his cell phone shortly after the first tower fell. He told her not to worry, saying that he would meet her in 20 minutes at his studio, and assured her, "I'm safe. I'm with the firemen." It was the last time they ever spoke.[20] He took his last photo at 10:28:24 am EST.[1][12][7] About twenty minutes after the phone call,[20] at 10:28 am, the North Tower collapsed,[21] and falling debris of which killed Biggart.[4] His last photograph was presented as a highlight of the 2002 exhibit at the National Museum of American History.[22] In the days following the tower's collapse, Biggart reported among the missing, and his wife searched for him at news agencies and in the hospitals.[23] Four days later his body and his camera equipment was recovered under the debris.[5]

Biggart had three cameras with him and he used them to take digital, color film and slide images.[7] Biggart's friend, photographer Chip East, was able to recover 154 images from Biggart's digital storage devices, which have become part of the exhibits of Biggart's most well-known photographs.[1][2][9]

Memorials

  • His name was added to the The Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., in 2001.[24]
  • At the National 9/11 Memorial, Biggart is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-66.[25]

Creative works

  • Ireland: A Week in the Life of A Nation (1986 U.K.)
  • Running Towards Danger: Stories Behind the Breaking News of 9/11 (2002, Newseum)

Exhibits

  • Aftermath: Reflections on The Anniversary of September 11, Bill Biggart: Final Exposures, International Center of Photography, New York City, 2002.[8]
  • Bearing Witness to History, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C., 2002.[9]
  • Bill Biggart's cameras from 9/11 are on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., April 11, 2008.[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Adler, Jerry (2001-10-15). "Shooting To the End". Newsweek.
  2. ^ a b c d e f O'Clery, Conor (2001-12-22). "The parting shot". The Irish Times.
  3. ^ a b Hay, Carol; McKitterick, Tom (2001-09-09). "Remembering a friend". Toronto Star.
  4. ^ a b DeLuca, Louis (2012-09-11). "See the final photos by Bill Biggart, eyewitness to 9/11, killed in the attack"". The Dallas Morning News.
  5. ^ a b c d "Bill Biggart: Final Exposures". CBS News. 2002-09-06. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Missing pipe in: |first= (help)
  6. ^ a b c "At Pakistan/Afghanistan Border; Journalist Among Dead and Media Workers Missing". IFEX.org. 2001-09-25.
  7. ^ a b c Sengupta, Nilanjana (2011-09-10). "Snapshots of a disaster". The Straits Times.
  8. ^ a b McGee, Celia (2002-09-08). "Capturing History: Photo exhibits show the way the terrorist attacks and their aftermath was documented". New York Daily News.
  9. ^ a b c "Smithsonian Is Planning 9/11 Exhibit". The New York Times. 2002-08-03.
  10. ^ "Bill Biggart's Final Exposures". The Digital Journalist. January 2011.
  11. ^ a b c "Parties, Love Notes and Other Small Memories That Now Loom Large". The New York Times. 2001-09-18.
  12. ^ a b c d e Van der Lingen, Suzanne. "Bill Biggart: 9/11". GUP magazine.
  13. ^ a b c d "About Bill". Bill Biggart, Photographer, 1947-2001. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  14. ^ Gussow, Mel (1982-11-30). "Stage: 'Mens Room'". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Moffett III, George D.; Temko, Ned (1988-04-21). "Crisis of leadership besets troubled Israel". Christian Science Monitor.
  16. ^ Temko, Ned (1988-04-28). "Palestinian-Israeli war shifts to verbal front, but still at stalemate". Christian Science Monitor.
  17. ^ Irwin, Victoria (1987-06-18). "New Yorkers have much to ponder after Goetz trial". Christian Science Monitor.
  18. ^ Roberts, Sam (1989-09-03). "Once Again, Racism Proves to Be Fatal In New York City". The New York Times. p. Section 4; Page 6, Column 1. {{cite news}}: |section= ignored (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  19. ^ "Bill Biggart killed at World Trade Centre". Editorial Photographyers United Kingdom and Ireland. 2001-09-18. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  20. ^ a b "September 11th". Bill Biggart: Photographer. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  21. ^ Miller, Bill (May 1, 2002). "Report Assesses Trade Center's Collapse". The Washington Post.
  22. ^ "2002 Exhibition Highlights". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
  23. ^ Lin, Jennifer (2001-09-14). "As hopes fade, aching sorrow sets in; Passersby memorialize the fallen on the hulk of a charred fire truck". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  24. ^ Ho, Dorothy (2001-10-10). "Newseum Honors Bill Biggart, Who Died Covering WTC Attack". Film Journal.
  25. ^ William G. Biggart. Memorial Guide: National 9/11 Memorial. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  26. ^ Dietsch, Deborah K. (2008-04-05). "Newseum completes avenue revitalization". The Washington Times.
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