9/11 destruction of Windows on the World left Zraly broken-hearted

Windows on the World restaurant in New York City opened on April 12, 1976. It closed its doors -- forever -- on Sept. 11, 2001, a victim of the worst terrorist attack in American history.

The acclaimed restaurant -- home to a multimillion-dollar wine collection and a noted wine school -- was destroyed when a commercial jetliner plowed into One World Trade Center. Situated on the 107th floor, Windows on the World lost 72 employees, a security officer and seven workers who were constructing a new wine cellar, leaving 168 children without a parent.

Kevin Zraly, director of the wine school, worked at Windows from day one. He normally would have been in town on that fateful day but had decided to stay home to be with his son, who was celebrating his 10th birthday.

"My son's birthday is Sept. 12, so I guess you could say he's my lucky charm," Zraly says. He also was not in the building when it was bombed in 1993 -- another terrorist action. That action closed the restaurant for three years.

The decision he made on 9/11 spared his life, Zraly says, but not his emotions. "It's been a tough time for the past 20 months. I guess the only thing to do is to continue on."

The wine school has been moved to a Manhattan hotel near Broadway on Times Square. "It's run continuously for 27 years, even after the 1993 bombing," he says. The classes always sell out. And despite the tragic events, Zraly has managed to publish his annually updated "wine school in print," called "Windows on the World Complete Wine Course" (Sterling Publishing). The 2004 edition, its 19th, will be released in July.

The 2003 edition (the 18th, $24.95), published last summer, is dedicated to the employees of Windows on the World who died in the attack, Zraly says. Proceeds from sales benefit a fund -- "Windows of Hope" -- set up for their surviving children.

Among the pages are stories of Windows on the World, its founders, staff members, wine school and commentaries from former employees. After finishing the text, Zraly says, he developed shingles from the stress and was laid up in bed for three weeks.

"(The book) is from the heart -- which was broken."

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