On My Watch: A Memoir

Virginia Buckingham

Cavan Bridge Press, Apr 14, 2020 - Biography & Autobiography - 304 pages

Blamed for the 9/11 attacks, one woman has to find the courage to be her own hero.

As the nation came together to mourn, to support, and to rebuild in the aftermath of 9/11, Virginia Buckingham was singled out for blame. As the head of Boston's Logan International Airport, the launching pad for the hijacked planes that destroyed the Twin Towers, she was scapegoated by the media and political leaders for supposed airport security lapses and forced to resign. She was also sued for wrongful death by the family of a 9/11 victim, holding her personally responsible for the terrorist attack.

A rising star at thirty-five--she had served as chief of staff to two consecutive Massachusetts governors before becoming the first woman to head the state's Port Authority--Buckingham's life and career was suddenly derailed. Grappling with issues of trauma, faith, leadership, and resilience, this unique memoir shares her struggle to rebuild her life and come to terms with being blamed for the unimaginable tragedy that occurred on her watch.

About the author

Virginia Buckingham was born in Connecticut and has lived in Massachusetts for nearly forty years. She was the first woman to serve as chief of staff to two consecutive Massachusetts governors. Buckingham was subsequently the first woman appointed to head that state's Port Authority, owner and operator of Logan International Airport. She has also worked as a deputy editorial page editor and columnist for the Boston Herald. In 2015 she was selected for the inaugural class of Presidential Leadership Scholars, a joint initiative of the presidential libraries of Presidents George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and Lyndon Johnson. The completion of this manuscript was her Presidential Leadership project, a key element of the program, which teaches scholars to apply leadership lessons from those presidencies, such as courage and resilience.

Bibliographic information

• Title: On My Watch: A Memoir
• Author: Virginia Buckingham
• Publisher: Cavan Bridge Press, 2020
• ISBN: 099874932X, 9780998749327
• Length: 304 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Aviation & Nautical; Biography & Autobiography / General; History / United States / General; History / United States / State & Local / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT); Psychology / Grief & Loss