On a day where millions around the world were remembering the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, Longwood began its remembrance event in front of the symbolic Ruffner Hall.
The event began with the presentation of the colors by Logwood's ROTC. While an occurrence at numerous university activities, it seemed more symbolic on this day. Brandon Fry, Student Government Association president, then gave his remarks about what the memorial service represents.
A reading of the original Rotunda article from Sept. 13, 2001 that covered Longwood's reactions to that day was conducted, followed by B.A.S.I.C. gospel choir's performance of "Here I Am to Worship."
The song even echoed through the crowd, many people joining in with the choir.
President Finnegan followed the performance, saying, "I'm proud that we're gathering to do this."
Finnegan explained that Longwood lost one of her own on Sept. 11 with the death of Joe Anduncia, a 1997 graduate, when he perished at the World Trade Center site. He also spoke of the defining moment the attacks put on the generation. He said, "My generation used to ask, ‘Where were you when JFK was shot?' Now we ask, ‘Where were you on Sept. 11?'"
Finnegan was about 50 miles north of New York City when the attacks happened. He was teaching at West Point Military Academy. His lesson to cadets that day was on the Constitution of the United States. He said someone came into the room and told him about the situation. His thoughts raced to those cadets. They would later realize the world changed for everyone that day, especially for them, as it would mean something for their future.
The days that followed Sept. 11 brought a sense of patriotism across the United States. People hung flags and held hands with one another—the actions of Mrs. Finnegan and her neighbor upon learning the news of the attacks. In terms of spirit, Finnegan said, "We came together in ways I'd never seen."
Having two close friends at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, Finnegan felt the attacks especially hard. Luckily, those friends ended up being okay. He said he and his wife called them Sunday just to say hello. "Most of those heroes would be defined by the term citizen leader," Finnegan noted. "We should never forget those heroes or the ones that followed after,"he said.
Finnegan said every house and every business he passed on the way to a Boston College and Army football game had a flag flying some time after the attacks. He said when the Army bus pulled up at Boston College, tailgaters for the home team began clapping.
To close, Finnegan urged the crowd to continue being a "beacon for freedom." He also emphasized the importance of togetherness. "It shouldn't take tragic events to bring us together as Americans."
"Do you remember where you were?" Chief Beach asked the crowd. "That's the question everyone is asking today."
For Beach, the memory is still clear. He was a major on the Fairfax County, Va. Police Department on Sept. 11. He was getting ready for a short day of work as the weather of the serene day was just too good to miss. However, things quickly changed as Beach learned about what was happening in New York City.
He was asked to respond to the operations center to prepare for a potential crisis. "My first thought was ‘My God, we are at war,'" Beach said. "My second thought was ‘My God, my family.'"
There were three things that made the day a defining moment to Beach. The first involved the notion of freedom. Beach lost numerous colleagues and friends in New York and Washington, D.C. "Freedom will not be destroyed as long as there are those willing to pay the price for freedom," he said. That day, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives altogether.
The second notion is of service. Beach said, "Service is the supreme gift from yourself to others." Third, Beach mentioned leadership. Many citizen leaders were lost that day at the Pentagon, the World Trade Center site and in Shanksville, Pa., where the heroes of flight 93 attempted to overtake the hijackers. Beach discussed a teacher of his, Colin Powell's 18 points of leadership, as a driving force in determining what it takes to be a leader.
Students were also invited to reflect on their thoughts of Sept. 11 by Lecturer of English, Professor Susan Stinson. Some took the opportunity to speak about loved ones lost on that day and share how they learned of the events. During that time, candles were handed out to those in attendance. Every candle shared a flame from one single candle held by Stinson.
Director of Diversity & Inclusion Dr. Jamie Riley gave a brief introduction of the movie, "Mooz-lum," which was shown on Stubbs Lawn following the memorial event.
Closing thoughts and a brief reflection, entitled "What Matters," were presented by Catholic Campus Minister Bob Zupanek. He said students wishing to discuss the events in a less public setting could do so with anyone from the Counseling Center. Thoughts can also be placed on a dry erase board present at the memorial,that now rests in the Lankford Student Union Ballroom.
"The speeches by Beach and President Finnegan hit home for a lot of students," said junior Kevin Bradtke. "It was a very good event for the people lost on Sept. 11."
Kristen Wander, senior, said it was nice to hear Finnegan's story. "It's always to know where people were and hear their stories," she said. She herself was in a sixth grade math class. She described her immediate reaction as being "dumbfounded" when she realized what had happened.
"It was very peaceful," said Wander of the event. "On a day where there wasn't much peace 10 years ago, there was a lot of it here."
