Students, faculty and staff gathered Sunday in front of Alamance to reflect on the legacy of the 2001 terror attacks in New York and D.C.
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Ten years earlier to the day, on a similarly warm evening, the Elon University community mourned the loss of nearly 3,000 lives in violent terrorist attacks against the United States.
On Sunday, a small crowd had gathered in the very same plaza to mark the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center and Pentagon tragedies. Only this time, the mood was more upbeat as messages reflected the lessons learned since the dark moment in American history.
Elon President Leo M. Lambert and Associate Chaplain Phil Smith led members of the university community in reflecting on the events of Sept. 11, 2001 as experienced on campus, how the nation has moved forward, and Elon’s role in creating a culture of greater understanding and a future of peace.
“We gather tonight to remember. We remember how the event impacted us in that moment. We remember where we were. We remember how we felt, and how the world around us has been different since that day,” Smith said. “We remember how we needed to be together, trying to make sense of it all. We also remember those who died and were injured, and the families who were left with emptiness and heartache.”
Lambert delivered what he described as an impressionist picture of campus events in the hours and days following news of the hijackings. From the College Coffee where news spread of the national disaster, to the candlelight vigil three nights later, Lambert captured for the crowd the wave of emotion that spilled over the community.
John G. Sullivan, Powell Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, delivered remarks on the choices people have for creating a better world by focusing on a new type of capitalism, one that relies on “the three P’s” of people, planet and profits. He also told the crowd that hate is only combated by love, which he dubbed “the eternal rule.”
“If we are awake and alert, we have a choice, a choice in what we do,” Sullivan said. “We can choose to create hell, or we can choose to create heaven. And if we go through our life on default, on auto-pilot, we will surely create hell.”
The ceremony drew an estimated 40 students, professors, administrators and staff to the front steps of Alamance. Jana Lynn Patterson, assistant vice president of Student Life, also read an essay by Jason Boone ’05, whose father died in the Pentagon.
It was the final event in a series of programs commemorating the 10th anniversary of the attacks.