MANATEE -- A group of first responders and those directly affected by the events of 9/11 will share their personal experiences and stories at 4 p.m. Sept. 7 at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s Selby Auditorium, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail.

“Triumph over Tragedy: Remembering 9/11 a Decade Later” will be presented by USF’s Institute for Public Policy and Leadership.

The event will feature:

n Dan Hoffe, who was on the 61st floor of the South Tower when the North Tower was hit and was still in the building when the second plane hit the South Tower;

n Jackie Barron, who was reporting for News Channel 8 at the time of the attack and was in Booker Elementary with President Bush when he was notified of the attack;

n Luke Bencie, who was hired following the attacks to serve with the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Emergency Support Team;

n Bonnie Greenball Silvestri, who worked at the Family Assistance Unit at Pier 49 in NYC and helped victims’ families obtain death certificates; and

n Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Christopher Wenzel, who was deployed to the Mideast after the attacks and is the author of a comprehensive wartime action plan checklist utilized for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Moderating the discussion will be Judith Sedgeman, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Leadership. The public is welcome.

An RSVP is encouraged because of space limitations at (941) 359-4602.

Holmes Beach deputy mayor in League of Cities post

The Florida League of Cities has appointed Deputy Mayor/Commission Chair Sandra Haas-Martens of Holmes Beach to its board of directors.

Haas-Martens will serve on the board until August 2012, when elections will be held during the League’s annual conference. She is eligible for additional terms on the board.

Haas-Martens was first elected as a City of Holmes Beach City Commissioner in 1998.

-- Herald staff reports