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Glenn Wilkinson never hesitated when the time came to run into a burning building, but amusement park rides? They were serious business. On his final trip to Virginia in the summer of 2001, Wilkinson was spending the day at Busch Gardens with his sister and her daughter, June, when he reluctantly agreed to ride the Battering Ram, a ship that swings end-to-end on a pendulum. Wilkinson sat in the middle of the boat with June, then a nervous 13-year-old. “I thought that he was nice by volunteering to sit with me, but I soon realized he was screaming just as loud as I was,” Hartman recalled. “When he saw I was looking at him, he changed his voice to a deeper, more masculine tone. When I called him out about it, we both just laughed.” It’s one of the final lasting memories Hartman, now a senior on VCU’s women’s soccer team, has of her Uncle Glenn. When it came to saving lives, Lieutenant Glenn Wilkinson of Engine Co. 238 in Brooklyn, N.Y., was never afraid.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Wilkinson and his company responded to the raging fires at the World Trade Center. He was helping evacuation efforts at the North Tower when the South Tower buckled and collapsed. As smoke and debris filled the lobby, Wilkinson and others immediately ordered their men from the building. When the companies regrouped, a headcount revealed that someone was missing. Wilkinson and another firefighter immediately doubled back to the North Tower in search of their missing comrade. When the smoke and smoldering wreckage became too much to bear, the other firefighter returned to his truck to retrieve a gas mask. He never made it back to the tower. At 10:28 a.m., the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. Wilkinson was among 343 firefighters and paramedics confirmed killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was 46 and left behind a wife and three young children. The loss cut Hartman’s family deep. A former football and lacrosse player at Hofstra, Wilkinson was 6-foot-3 and fit, but it was his sense of humor and affable personality that left the biggest impression.
“We’d go up to Long Island and we’d be at the dinner table and my mom would say ‘don’t play with your food,’ or ‘don’t do that,’ and she’d turn around and he’d be messing with us and doing the exact same thing.” Hartman and her family have spent the last eight years dealing with the loss of Wilkinson, but for the first time since the tragic events of that day, Hartman will suit up for a soccer game on Sept. 11 when VCU hosts Loyola (Md.) on Friday. Although she’s says she’s not sure how the day will affect her while she’s on the field, Hartman admits that the memory of her uncle, and his bravery, inspires her nearly every day. “During the national anthem, I usually think about him,” Hartman, who is majoring in criminal justice and homeland security, said. “I look back at the things he did and say to myself that it’s a privilege to be out here playing, and don’t take it for granted, because a lot of people don’t get this opportunity. Questions or comments? E-mail us at aroundthehorns@yahoo.com or look us up on Facebook. |
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UNCLE’S BRAVERY ON 9-11 INSPIRES VCU’S HARTMAN 
“It was hard, especially on my mom and everyone else,” Hartman said. “He was like the family clown. He was the guy who made every moment funny. He was just like a big kid.All rights reserved.
