On the day of the terrorist attack, the people of Lewisporte opened their homes to the retired Ohio State University administrator and 800 others who found themselves stranded on Newfoundland when U.S. flights were grounded.

In return, Brooks-Jones started a scholarship fund that has helped 84 students in the once-thriving town fulfill their dreams of college. She has collected money and pledges worth $900,000, a guarantee that the effort will continue.

Last week, the Canadian province repaid her kindness by making her an honorary member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. The order normally is open to native or longtime Newfoundlanders or Labradoreans, but others may be named honorary members.

"Though it was the human capacity for unspeakable cruelty on 9/11 that brought you to the Lewisporte Lions Club, it is the human capacity for profound good will in tragic circumstances that provides the lasting memory of that event for so many," Danny Williams, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, told Brooks-Jones in a letter informing her about the award.

"I am reminded of the powerful theme of the film Pay it Forward, which you have lifted from the screen and applied in our lives in a way that is simply stunning to behold."

Brooks-Jones, 71, received the honor last week along with eight Canadian citizens who include a 100-year-old physician who spent a year aboard a ship ministering to 80 coastal communities and a World War II bride from England known as the area's theatrical matriarch.

"I was so nervous my knees were knocking," she said. The ceremony took place at the Government House in St. John's, Newfoundland.

The lesson in giving started on Sept. 11, 2001, when Brooks-Jones was returning home from a conference in Denmark.

U.S. airspace was closed because of the terrorist attack, so 38 planes carrying nearly 8,000 people landed at Gander International Airport. When the numbers overwhelmed Gander, a city of 10,000, striking bus drivers came off picket lines to take them to nearby towns.

In Lewisporte, Mayor Bill Hooper and 3,930 townspeople cooked lavish meals, made up guest beds and brought in phones, televisions and computers so the tired travelers could reach loved ones.

Brooks-Jones and her fellow passengers on Delta Flight 15 spent only three days in Lewisporte, but many left with lifelong friends.

On the flight out of Gander, a fellow passenger suggested starting a scholarship fund to repay the town's hospitality. A former fundraiser at Ohio State, Brooks-Jones has overseen the effort ever since.

"I'm the one who is grateful," she said.

Brooks-Jones returns to Lewisporte each June to award at least 10 scholarships at the graduation ceremony of Lewisporte Collegiate high school, which attracts students from several neighboring villages.

The fund has awarded $20,000 for college or vocational/technical training and raised about $75,000 in cash and $825,000 in other pledges to keep the fund going. The scholarships typically range between $200 and $450. College is less expensive in Canada than the United States, and the awards aren't meant to pay the total costs.

Brooks-Jones plans to write a book about the friendships that blossomed in 2001 and give the proceeds to the scholarship fund. She also hopes to strike up a deal in which Ohio State will accept two Lewisporte students a year as a cross-continent learning experience and goodwill gesture.

Brooks-Jones also returns to Newfoundland each September to be with her "Newfie" family.

"I never did have a sister, but I do now," said Thelma Hooper, who is married to the Lewisporte mayor. "Shirley is one of those people you can't forget. She went from being a good friend to becoming part of our family."

To read more about the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, go to www.gov.nl.ca/onl. epyle@dispatch.com

How to help

Contributions to the Lewisporte Area Flight 15 Scholarship Fund can be sent to the Columbus Foundation; Attention Nancy Koerner, Planned Giving Officer; 1234 E. Broad St.; Columbus 43205.