Shirley Brooks-Jones and "The Plane People”

On September 11, 2001, the jet carrying Shirley Brooks-Jones made an emergency landing at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada. Thirty-seven other planes also landed there as the world learned the first details of the horrifying events taking place that day. Shirley and the 6,594 others aboard those jets became "the plane people" to the warm and welcoming local residents, who opened their arms and their homes. This story has inspired the award-winning Broadway musical Come from Away, which will come to Columbus early next year. Brooks-Jones will share her own story, along with heartwarming tales from many others who also experienced the generosity of the Newfoundland people.