Rensselaer Marks Sept. 11 Anniversary With Solemn Tributes and Forum

Rensselaer marked the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, with a daylong series of events of remembrance including a ceremonial lowering of the flag at the beginning of the day, a moment of silence at noon and, a public forum in the evening. The ROTC stood vigil throughout the day at the Armory flag.

The day’s community events began with the Patriot Day ceremonial lowering of the flag at 8:46 a.m. – the moment the first aircraft struck the World Trade Center. The ceremony was held at the flag poles on the corner of 15th Street and Sage Avenue. Members of the Rensselaer ROTC lowered the United States flag to half staff. “Taps” was played by Jason Miller ’04. “America the Beautiful” was sung by Professor Henry Scarton.

In moving remarks to those gathered on the lawn, Grand Marshal Mike Borzumate spoke of the two key lessons he learned from Sept. 11--the need to value the incredible gift of each new day and the immense power of unity. “And by unity I mean more than flying our flag, or donating to a disaster relief fund,” Borzumate said. “Yes, those are important things, but the true power of unity comes from discovering how to understand, relate to, and value those who are different from ourselves. When we get to know a broad diversity of people on a deep level, we can understand for ourselves the truth: that people are people. We are all basically the same, made unique by different backgrounds and packaging, but the same inside.”

President Jackson urged all present to “above all, let this day’s recollections motivate us — as individuals and as members of this university community — to lead lives of purpose, to care for one another and to use our scientific and technological discoveries to strengthen our country, and to better our world.”

At noon, members of the Rensselaer campus community joined in a moment of silence as bells on campus tolled for five minutes.

The day’s events concluded with an evening forum on “Historic Memorials, Commemoration, and Remembrance.” A four-person panel discussed historic memorials, commemoration, and remembrance in the United States, Germany, and Ireland.

Following President Jackson’s opening remarks, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences John Harrington spoke on Irish famine memorials; Dean of Architecture Alan Balfour spoke about memorials in Berlin; Michael Halloran, professor emeritus of language, literature, and communication, spoke about the Saratoga Memorial Battlefield and other local memorials; and Carole Blair, professor of American studies at University of California, Davis, discussed plans for the World Trade Center site.