TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Kilgore College's 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony featured keynote speaker, author and 9/11 survivor Michael Hingson, who has been blind since birth.

Kilgore College President Staci Martin spoke at the memorial event, sharing some of Hingson's background and welcoming him to the event.

Hingson told the story of how he and his guide dog Roselle walked down 78 flights of stairs and escaped World Trade Center, Tower One, before it collapsed.{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "VideoObject", "name": "Kilgore College president, Dr. Staci Martin, gives a speech at KC's 9/11 memorial event", "description": "Kilgore College president, Dr. Staci Martin, gives a speech at KC's 9/11 memorial event", "thumbnailUrl": "https://gray-ktre-prod.gtv-cdn.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fdo0bihdskp9dy.cloudfront.net%2F09-11-2026%2Ft_b1224d787689474f9d48907730c5df6d_name_file_1280x720_2000_v3_1_.jpg?auth=c2e976d808056070862f8963e5e4a881374dc0759d688195aace480e7a7c062e&width=1920&height=1080&smart=true", "uploadDate": "2026-09-11T20:08:51Z", "duration": "P0Y0M0DT0H5M8S", "contentUrl": "https://d1l66zlxaqpl1u.cloudfront.net/wp-gray/20260911/6aa45a16f19e1b4bfb348f93/t_875b7ab2b9ee424aba02e8706650b71c_name_KC_911_speech_2/file_1280x720-2000-v3_1.mp4" }