The day that one faculty member called “the moment when this
generation lost their political innocence” was still a fresh memory when the
campus awoke on Wednesday.
A number of students, faculty and
staff attended an interfaith prayer service at 8:30
a.m. in Memorial Chapel.
By 8:45,
Dean of Students Fred Alford had begun to direct a group of orientation
advisors who would oversee the building of a tribute to the victims of last
year's terrorist attacks: 3,000 small flags — one for each of the victims –
placed in the College lawn just east of the Nott Memorial.
Click here to see a photo gallery of the flag tribute: http://www.union.edu/september11/
When the service was over,
participants walked to the site of the tribute and began placing the first of
the flags, in equal parts red, white and blue.
The bells tolled from Memorial
Chapel at 8:46, 9:03, 9:59 and 10:29 a.m. to commemorate the attack and
collapse of the World Trade
Center Towers.
By early afternoon, the flag tribute
was complete. Some students had arranged a group of the small flags into a
mosaic of the American flag. Others had fashioned the letters “U.S.A.”
Throughout the afternoon, the “field
of flags” served as a reminder of the human toll of last September 11. With
classes yet to start, students had time to stop at the flags and reflect. Many
took pictures.
In the evening, the campus
gathered in Memorial Chapel for a commemorative ceremony that started more than
five minutes late as hundreds of students milled about outside waiting to get
in. When the ceremony began, dozens were left standing. By all accounts, it was
the largest group the chapel has held in recent memory, an estimated 1,000
members of the Union community.
The ceremony included a memoriam
to six members of the Union family who were lost in the World
Trade Center
attacks: Thomas Duffy '71; Andrew Fredericks '83; Peter Freund '77; Donald Kauth '74; Alexander Steinman '91; Christopher Quackenbush, husband of Traci S. Quackenbush
'80; and James Patrick, brother of Kevin Patrick, former assistant hockey
coach.
Remarks came from Prof. Mohammed Mafi, board member of the Al-Fatemah
Islamic Center; Viki Brooks-McDonald, protestant
minister; George S. Forshey, Catholic chaplain; and
Bonnie Cramer, Hillel program director. Jeffrey Silver
'03 read the poem “Waltzing the Spheres” by Susan Scott Thompson.
President Roger Hull said, “I hope
that September 11, 2001
will produce a change in all Americans, renew awareness that there is a right
and wrong in the world, and ignite a new spirit in this country. Nurture that
spirit. Develop further a solid core of values. Resolve to make those values a
foundation that will serve you throughout your lives. And act on those values
for your benefit and the benefit of your communities and country. Ultimately,
that is the best and most lasting tribute that we can pay those whose lives
were lost on September 11.”
After the ceremony, the audience walked
out of the chapel and circled the field of flags. Gusty winds made it
impossible to hold a planned candle lighting ceremony, so President Hull
suggested the group lock arms as two bagpipers played Amazing Grace. Prof. Tim Olsen concluded the evening with Taps, the bugle call composed by Daniel
Butterfield, Class of 1849, and brigadier general of the Union Army.