NEW YORK: On Sep 11, 2001, Jupiter Yambem needed to be at work at about 6am. As he left home, the 41-year-old kissed his wife goodbye. He always did.What was different that Tuesday from most of the days that had come before was the early start. He used to work the night shift, leaving home in the afternoon and returning at 2am or later.His son, Santi, was five at the time. His wife, Nancy Yambem, was working full-time.“I felt like a lot of that child rearing was on me. So about a week before 9/11, we decided together that it’d be best if he worked …” she trailed off, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“… if he worked the morning shift, because he wanted to spend more time with his son.”He was a banquet manager at Windows on the World, the dining and conference complex sitting at the top of the World Trade Center’s North Tower.Often profiled in magazines, it was world-famous for its food and views. The whole of New York City could be seen from its windows.
An archive photograph of Windows on the World.
New York was where Jupiter built his career after coming to America at age 21 from Manipur state in northeast India. Young and ambitious, he worked in Manhattan’s biggest hospitality venues before reaching the jewel in its culinary crown.“He loved his job,” said Nancy, 65. “He loved doing it well. Between celebrity events, weddings, elaborate affairs, he made sure that everyone that he served and that his staff served had the ultimate best experience that they could.”The Windows complex occupied 50,000 sq ft of space, nearly the size of an American football field. On the 107th floor were two restaurants, a wine cellar and a bar named the Greatest Bar on Earth.On the 106th floor were conference rooms, banquet halls and the company’s corporate offices. In total, the complex was staffed by over 400 people.As a former Windows hostess, Nathalie Tolentino remembers that when people walked in, many of them would “immediately run to the windows to look at the city”. She said: “It was magical. You could see it in their eyes.”
