September 11, 2002
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With the bell of Kirkland Hall chiming, students, faculty, staff, administrators and others paused on Vanderbilt’s Alumni Lawn this morning as they began their day to remember the lives lost a year ago in the terrorist attacks on America.
The solemn ceremony marked the beginning of a day filled with memorials, services and discussion on campus to mark the anniversary.
As a “flame of hope” burned and horns and drums played by Blair School of Music reverberated with the dramatic notes of Aaron Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, the crowd of about 500 stood in silence before an honor guard of ROTC cadets lowered the American flag to half-staff at 7:46 a.m., the time of the first attack on the World Trade Center.
Before dispersing, some stopped at a table to write their thoughts on pieces of cloth and hung them on a nearby tree that last year bore similar messages and has become known as the “Hope and Remembrance Tree.” Student organizations planned to staff the table throughout the day.
Other activities planned later in the day include:
At noon, a forum on the Rand Terrace. Speakers include Chancellor Gordon Gee; Lucius Outlaw, Vanderbilt professor of philosophy and director of African American Studies; Samar Ali, Vanderbilt’s first Arab-American Muslim president of the Student Government Association, and Jessica Haden, a Vanderbilt sophomore from Queens, N.Y., who traveled to New York shortly after the tragedy on a bus chartered by the University to take students from the New York area home. Forum attendees will be invited to share their thoughts during the “speak out” portion of the forum.
At 4 p.m., a campus-wide multifaith/multicultural “Service for Peaceful Tomorrows” is scheduled that will feature poetry readings and music.
“9-11 Perspectives: A Year Later,” a panel discussion featuring Vanderbilt faculty will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Sarratt Cinema.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Office of the University Chaplain at 615-322-2457.
For high resolution photos please e-mail david.glasgow@vanderbilt.edu