Oral History with Paula Grant Berry

Oral history interview with Paula Grant Berry and Amy Weinstein on November 17, 2023.

Paula Grant Berry is a 9/11 family member, juror for the World Trade Center Memorial Design Competition, and is a Founding Trustee of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. In this interview, Berry reflects on her upbringing in Eugene, Oregon, her education at Harvard University and Columbia Business School, and her life with her husband, David Shelby Berry, before he was killed while working at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in the South Tower on September 11, 2001. She recounts raising their three young sons in the aftermath of the attacks and describes how her involvement with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's Family Advisory Council became an important part of her grieving and healing process. Berry discusses her role in drafting the Memorial Mission Statement, emphasizing the careful consideration given to every word and the importance of accurately describing those killed in the attacks. She also reflects on her service as a member of the Memorial Design Competition jury, describing the challenges of evaluating more than 5,200 submissions, the nationwide study of memorials that informed the process, and the collaborative deliberations that ultimately led to the selection of Michael Arad's Reflecting Absence design. Berry recounts the evolution of the Memorial through dialogue among jurors, architects, victims' families, and public officials, highlighting the addition of Peter Walker's landscape design, the placement of victims' names, and the balance between artistic vision and public consensus. She concludes by reflecting on the enduring presence of her husband in her family's life, her continued service to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and her belief that the Memorial stands as a remarkable achievement born from collaboration among people with deeply different perspectives.