Former Hostage in Hometown to Give Thanks

LORAIN, Ohio â€”  Former hostage Terry A. Anderson returned to one of his hometowns Saturday to thank those who gave him hope during nearly seven years of captivity in Lebanon.

Anderson came to Lorain for a weekend visit, including a private family reunion. He will be grand marshal of the Lorain International Festival parade today.

“It’s a little disconcerting being a celebrity,� said Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press. “People recognize me on the street. They come up and say, ‘Hi, welcome home.’

“I’m a journalist, you know. I’m supposed to be sitting down there with the notebook. Suddenly I’m up here, answering the questions,� he said.

The weekend marks the end of the Free Terry Anderson Committee, which was established in early 1986 at the request of Anderson’s father, Glenn. The elder Anderson died less than a year after his son was abducted March 16, 1985, by the Islamic Jihad, or Islamic Holy War. He was freed Dec. 4.

Anderson lived in Lorain until he was 7, when his family moved to Batavia, N.Y.

“Lorain has a special connection to me. We just passed St. Joseph’s Hospital, where I was born, literally,� he said. “But it’s hard for me to grasp how many people came to care, really cared, really had a personal connection. That’s kind of strange. It’s very warming.�

An uncle and three cousins remain in northeastern Ohio. His sister, Peggy Say, was unable to attend the reunion.

“I’m very happy to be here because it gives me a chance to say thank you to a lot of people who showed concern and worked hard for me during those years,� Anderson said.

Anderson, who will spend a year at Columbia University writing a book about his ordeal, said he was looking forward to his first Father’s Day with his daughter, Sulome, born a few months after his abduction.

“We’re going to see whether she wakes me up with a cup of coffee,� he said.