Family, friends and the community of Batavia are mourning the loss of Terry Anderson.
The Batavia native, journalist, author and former hostage has passed away. His family says he died on Sunday at his home in Greenwood Lake, N.Y., at the age of 76.
Some people in Batavia are remembering the challenging years Anderson was held captive and the celebratory times when he was finally freed.
Anderson was a Batavia High School graduate whose life changed on March 16, 1985, when Hezbollah militants abducted him in Beirut, Lebanon.
And the people of Batavia never would know how this event would shape their community for years to come.
“Every day we were looking at the news to find out if they were making any headway,” said Paula Savage, president and founder of the International Peace Garden Foundation in Batavia. “We were wearing ribbons. We were trying to be there for him.”
“The whole community had prayer vigils all the time to try to get him released [and] keep him safe. That was the main thing,” said Friends of Batavia Peace Garden President Barbara Toal.
Yellow ribbons lined the streets and were seen everywhere in town. The number of days Anderson was held in captivity was updated daily on the front page of the local newspaper.
“It was a difficult time; it was heartbreaking.
We went through an awful lot and his heart was broken literally and figuratively,” said New York State Assemblymember Steve Hawley, who attended high school with Anderson.
“I think people back then were just hoping, in some fashion or another, that even though it was an international situation, they brought it back to Main Street Batavia or any city in the state of New York or this nation.
It’s a human being that’s in trouble and we knew him and we wanted him home with his family.”
Hawley was part of the effort to get Anderson released, which finally came to fruition 2,455 days after he was taken hostage.
On Dec. 4, 1991, Anderson was finally released, kicking off emotional celebrations, ceremonies and reunions, including a huge welcome home to Batavia celebration.
