PARKERSBURG — It’s been 15 years since Mary Lou Hague of Parkersburg died in World Trade Center Tower 2. She was 26 years old.

Hague was a 1992 Parkersburg High School graduate and a 1996 graduate of the University of North Carolina with a business degree. She was a research analyst for Keefe Bruyette and Woods Inc. in Tower 2.

Her mother, Liza Adams of Parkersburg, will not go to New York for the 15th anniversary of the event.

“It will be unbelievable the number of people who will be there,” Adams said. “I went for the 10th anniversary, but not this time. I’d rather spend the time telling students around Parkersburg about her and why her name is on the annex at (Parkersburg) High School.”

She was silent again for a few seconds and then lifted her head and began to speak of Mary Lou and how life changed after Sept. 11.

“I don’t think the world is any safer now,” she said. “In fact, it may have gotten worse. You’re off fighting Bin Laden and al-Qaida. You get him and find ISIS and others and having to deal with them. It’s just sad — sad we have to deal with all of it.”

She had high praise for elected officials in Washington when Patriot Day was put into law. A bill to make Sept. 11 a national day of mourning was introduced in the U.S. House Oct. 25, 2001.

“New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said we had to show these horrific visuals all the time to make sure Patriot Day doesn’t just become another day,” she said.

The Adamses met with President George W. Bush when he visited Parkersburg South High School May 13, 2004. He said following the day “terror attacks are not caused by a use of strength but invited by the perception of weakness.”

Hague’s image and name is in many places around memorials as one would expect. Liza said her image remains in the oldest surviving church building in Manhattan.

St. Paul’s Chapel is located at 209 Broadway, between Fulton Street and Vesey Street, in Lower Manhattan.

“The church survived without even a broken window,” she said. “The church is the subject of a children’s book, ‘The Little Chapel That Stood.’ The book and church history says the church was spared by a miracle sycamore that fell from the northwest corner of the property after it was hit by debris.

“Mary Lou’s picture was placed on the altar of that chapel after the attack,” she said. “It’s still there. The church has been renovated but her picture is still there. The Parkersburg High a cappella choir, which Mary had been a part of while she was in high school, has sung the alma mater to me over the phone during one of their visits there.”

Hague was active with Good Shepherd Episcopal Church of Parkersburg during her school years, serving as an acolyte, which is a person assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession.

At Parkersburg High, Hague was a member of the Key Club, French Honorary, Girl’s State, student council, senior cabinet and Honor Society. She graduated with a 4.0 average and ranked sixth among 541 students in her graduating class.

Following her college years, Hague had a bright future with Wall Street, according to her stepfather, Richard Adams, who is the CEO and board chairman of United Bankshares Inc.

“To get a position with a Wall Street firm is difficult,” he said. “Wall Street is actually a small area — not just a street, but it’s the financial area of the Lower Manhattan area. She went from investment banking to research and that is a big responsibility. It’s a recommendation position for individuals who want to invest and invest heavily. People were taking her advice about investing or not investing millions of dollars at a time.”

Mary Lou can still be found along the area of the eight block long, 0.7 mile area known as Wall Street. At the 9-11 Memorial, Mary Lou’s name can be found in the South pool on the 35th panel of the bronze memorial. It is in the third row of the panel.

“Truthfully, I am positive there is eternal life and she is with me,” Adams said. “Once, I was sitting in service at Trinity Episcopal Church and I was missing Mary Lou badly and I was just praying and wanting to have her near me to just hug her, to know she was near. After the service as we were waiting to leave, I saw a woman standing off to the side. She approached, introduced herself, spoke of Mary Lou and asked to hug. She leaned forward as we hugged and said, ‘This is for you, from Mary Lou, through me.'”

Prayer answered.

“She’s still near. She always will be,” she said.