West Virginia University will mark the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks tomorrow with a quiet observance.
WVU will join Gov. Joe Manchin and the state of West Virginia in lowering U.S. and state flags to half-staff and observing a moment of silence, University officials said.
We will never forget Sept. 11. The events of that day united all Americans, WVU President Mike Garrison said.From that tragedy emerged remarkable stories of heroism and a renewed sense of national pride.
He added,I encourage everyone at WVU to participate in a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center, to honor the victims.
Red, white and blue lights will be hung tomorrow morning on the 9/11 memorial tree near the Downtown Library Complexa living testament to the enduring memories of victims and the loved ones they left behind,said David Kirkpatrick, president of the WVU Student Government Association.
The evergreen was planted one year after the terrorist attacks. The lights will stay on throughout the day as a reminder of the tragedy. A permanent bronze plaque next to the tree reads:We rememberThe spirit of those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, lives in each of us.
The 9/11 attacks affected everyone, and Ill never forget those terrible eventsKirkpatrick said.Tomorrow, I hope the campus community will join me in taking time to reflect on what happened six years ago �€the lives lost, the heroes and those who continue to risk their lives everyday.
A video commemorating the anniversary of 9/11 may be viewed via a 9/11 remembrance Web site, which is linked to the Universitys home page athttp://www.wvu.edu/. The video, produced by WVU Television Productions, was first shown at WVU Commencement ceremonies in May 2005 as graduates remembered their first few weeks at WVU as freshmen in September 2001.
WVU lost two alumni in the terror attacksChris Gray, a 1992 and 1994 graduate who was working as a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald; and Jim Samuel Jr., a 1993 graduate who was working as a commodities broker for Carr Futures. Both worked at the World Trade Center Towers. Scholarship funds were set up in their memory through the WVU Foundation.