`We Remember' is theme for WVU, City 9-11 commemorative activities
MORGANTOWN,W.Va. -- West Virginia University will join with the City of Morgantown and community service agencies to remember the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with a host of solemn activities ranging from a sunset candlelight vigil in Woodburn Circle to an afternoon tree planting near a Memorial Wall outside the Downtown Campus Library. The public is invited to participate in all activities.
"These observances are intended to be understated, respectful and meaningful," WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. said. "We each have our own personal recollections and feelings about Sept. 11 and these combined events will give people options for expressing their emotions -- whether it is sorrow and pain or pride and patriotism."
Student Government Association President Chris Gregory said students wanted the day- long remembrance to be "simple, but powerful -- a quiet, collaborative effort."
"The theme is simply 'We Remember,' " Gregory said, "and lampposts around campus will display this message."
On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the day will begin with bells chiming from the Woodburn Hall clock tower at approximately 8:45 a.m. -- nearly one year to the minute after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center -- and again at noon to correspond with Gov. Bob Wise's request that church bells throughout the state ring during noontime services.
A temporary Memorial Wall will be set up outside the Downtown Library listing the names of the 9-11 victims. Visitors to the spot may leave ribbons, flowers, flags, poems and other appropriate items there throughout the day.
A West Virginia evergreen will be planted near the library memorial wall at 1 p.m. in memory of the victims and the heroes of that day.
Gregory will present the tree and a bronze plaque on behalf of the student body to WVU and city officials including President Hardesty, City Manager Dan Boroff and Provost Gerald Lang. "As an evergreen stays alive all year, so do those persons -- symbolically and in our memories -- who lost their lives on Sept. 11," Gregory said.
At 7:30 p.m. in Woodburn Circle, faculty, staff, students and townspeople are invited to gather for a candlelight vigil and moment of silence followed by the ringing of the bell from the armored cruiser USS West Virginia.
There will be brief remarks from Hardesty, Mayor Ron Justice and others. Representatives from the armed services are expected to be on hand along with officials from the city and volunteer fire departments, local, state and campus police, and other service agencies.
The WVU Choir will sing several appropriate selections and a bagpiper is expected to perform. Bagpipes are a traditional part of funerals for firefighters and police officers, most of whom used to be of Scotch-Irish descent.
Following the service, participants will notice that the evergreen planted earlier in the day will be lit in tiny red, white and blue lights.
The WVU community lost two alumni in the Sept. 11 attacks -- Christopher S. Gray, a 1992 and 1994 graduate who was working as a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald, and James K. Samuel Jr., a 1993 graduate who was working as a commodities broker for Carr Futures. Both worked at the World Trade Center Towers and hailed from New Jersey.
Since Sept. 11, Morgantown and WVU lost another citizen, Staff Sgt. Gene Arden Vance Jr., who died on May 19 when his unit came under fire from suspected al-Qaeda or Taliban forces in eastern Afghanistan. Vance was stationed in the country as part of the U.S.-led war on terrorism that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. He served in the 2nd Battalion of the 19th Special Forces Unit of the West Virginia National Guard based in Kenova. His widow, Lisa, recently accepted an honorary diploma (posthumously) from WVU for a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree.
Many members of the University and Morgantown communities also lost loved ones.
Mayor Justice said the city is pleased to be involved in the 9-11 events, adding, "The city's intention is to have a day of observances that are solemn, but impactful. I hope we are accomplishing this with this array of activities."
Many of WVU's colleges and schools will also hold educational programming throughout the week and fall semester, including a Benedum Lecture series titled "Sept. 11: One Year Later," an art series titled "Arts and Human Conflict," class discussions, other lectures and forums.
Responding to students' questions and concerns about Sept. 11 has been a priority for faculty members since the tragedies occurred. Faculty experts addressed issues during a four-part colloquium last fall and developed dozens of relevant courses last spring.
WVU Library Dean Frances O'Brien said her staff put together a recommended reading list regarding the tragedy. It can be found online at http://www.wvu.edu; click on the "We Remember" icon.
Associate Provost Rosemary Haggett noted that classes will remain in session throughout the day on Sept. 11 and University offices will remain operational, but faculty are asked to exercise special sensitivity to students who may have lost family or friends in that day's tragedies and to treat the day as a "day of special concern" by excusing student absences and by not scheduling examinations or field trips on that day.
"Faculty are also encouraged to ask students to reflect further on this defining moment in the nation's history by integrating into course syllabi materials relating to Sept. 11," Haggett said.
A listing of 9-11-related activities follows, but go online at http://www.wvu.edu and click on the "We Remember" icon for the latest information:
WVU-City 9-11 Remembrance Activities:
* Monday, Sept. 3
- Creative Arts Lecture/Discussion, Dean of the College of Creative Arts Bernie Schultz, "Arts and the Urgency of Social Change," 7:30 p.m., Mountainlair Gluck Theater
* Monday, Sept. 9
- State of the University Address, President David C. Hardesty Jr., 3:15 p.m., National Research Center for Coal and Energy/Evansdale Campus
* Tuesday, Sept. 10
- Creative Arts Cello and Piano Concert (featuring performances by WVU music professor William Skidmore and Division of Music string instrument students and the premiere of a new composition by Professor of Music John Beall), 7:30 p.m., Mountainlair Gluck Theater
- HR&E Public Forum - "Ground Zero Reflections" (College of Human Resources and Education students' post 9-11 experiences in New York City), noon - 1 p.m., Room 601B Allen Hall
* Wednesday, Sept. 11
- Woodburn Clock Tower Bells to Chime, approximately 8:45 a.m. and Noon
- Memorial Wall listing the names of the Sept. 11 victims, 8 a.m.-throughout day, Downtown Campus Library
- Tree Planting Ceremony, 1 p.m., Downtown Campus Library
- Candlelight Vigil/Moment of Silence/Bell Ringing, 7:30 p.m., Woodburn Circle
* Thursday, Sept. 12
- Service Learning Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Mountainlair Commons (Representatives from United Way agencies will be on hand to promote their agencies and recruit volunteers for "Make A Difference Day/Weekend" in October. WVU's Office of Service Learning Programs will have displays and information about service learning courses.)
- Red Cross Blood Drive, Noon-6 p.m., Mountainlair Ballrooms, sponsored by WVU Office of Service Learning
* Tuesday, Sept. 17
- Red Cross Blood Drive, Noon-6 p.m., Mountainlair Ballrooms, sponsored by WVU Red Cross Club
- Eberly College Visiting Lecturer, Neil Smelser, the Carlson Distinguished Visiting Professor of Sociology, "9-11 as Cultural Trauma," 7 p.m., Erickson Alumni Center
- Creative Arts Theater Performance, choreographed by Assistant Professor of Stage Movement Jessica Morgan and Division of Theater dance students, 7:30 p.m., Gluck Theater, Mountainlair
* Wednesday, Sept. 18
- Benedum Lecture, Terrence M. Keane, Chief of Psychology Service, VA Medical Center, "Terrorism, War and Trauma: Lessons for the Promotion of Resiliency and Recovery," 8 p.m., G24 Eiesland Hall
* Tuesday, Sept. 24
- Lecture/Discussion, Judy Shepard, hate crime victim's mother, "The Legacy of Matthew Shepard," 7:30 p.m., Health Sciences Center Main Auditorium
* Monday, Sept. 30
- Creative Arts Lecture, David Bess, Chairman, Division of Music, "The Contemplative Power of Music in Contemporary Society," 7:30 p.m., Gluck Theater, Mountainlair
* Wednesday, Oct. 2
- Benedum Lecture, David R.Franz, Vice President, Chemical and Biological Defense Division, Southern Research Institute, "Bioterrorism....after Sept. 22, 2001," 8 p.m., G24 Eiesland Hall
* Wednesday, Oct. 9
- Benedum Lecture, Amira Sonbol, Georgetown University, Center of Muslim-Christian Understanding, School of Foreign Languages, "Gender and the Cultures of the Middle East," 8 p.m., G24 Eiesland Hall
Wednesday, Oct. 16
- Benedum Lecture, Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland, "The Stakes: America, the War on Terrorism, and the Middle East," 8 p.m., G24 Eiesland Hall
* Thursday, Nov. 21
- Eberly College Lecture, Stephen Dunn, WVU's Jackson Distinguished Visiting Professor of English, "The Dilemmas and Virtues of the Political Poem: 9-11 and Historical Consciousness," 7:30 p.m., Mountainlair Ballrooms.
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