Remembering 911

September 11, 2011 will mark 10 years since the largest terrorist attack in the United States. That morning, four commercial passenger jet airliners were hijacked by al-Qaeda members and intentionally crashed. Two were piloted into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third into the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and a fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pa., after passengers attempted to retake control. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, and damage estimates rose to billions of dollars.

Wake Forest responded at the time with an outpouring of emotional support, fundraising and academic events (see sidebar).

Wake Forest has continued to respond in successive years, and the campus will remember the tragedy this year with a series of events.

“Ten years after the 9/11 terror attacks, people are in different stages of grief and recovery,” said University Chaplain Timothy Auman. “Our intent is to create an environment of reflection and a continuance of personal and collective healing.”

Wake Forest events

• Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011:
  Academic Panel, 6 p.m. in Benson Center — Political Science Professor Hank Kennedy will reflect on world changes resulting from 9/11. Counseling Department Chair Samuel Gladding will talk about working with the families and loved ones of victims in New York. Imam Khalid Griggs will discuss the Muslim experience in the U.S. since 9/11. Political Science Department Chair Katy Harriger will moderate. Read the recap »
• Friday, Sept. 9, 2011:
  Commemoration Blood Drive, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in Room 401, Benson Center — To honor the victims of 9/11, the MuslimsForLife campaign aims to collect 10,000 units of blood in September 2011 and to reiterate the message that Islam values the sanctity of life.
• Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 8-10, 2011:
  National Day of Service — Students, faculty and staff will participate in collaboration with HandsOn Northwest North Carolina. Watch President Obama discuss 9/11, including a mention of the local Habitat for Humanity project on which Wake Forest students will be working. (1:42 mark of the speech)
• Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011:
  Football game, 3:30 p.m. at BB&T Field — Among other ceremonial activities before kickoff, the University’s Volunteer Service Corps will host a letter-writing drive in support of U.S. military troops.
• Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011:
  Campus Kitchen — Students, faculty and staff will participate in the cooking and delivery shifts to the needy of the community.
• Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011:
  Bells in Wait Chapel — Rings will coincide with the time the four planes went down and the collapse of the two World Trade Center towers: 8:45 a.m., 9:03 a.m., 9:37 a.m., 10:05 a.m., 10:28 a.m., and 10:48 a.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011:
  Service of Remembrance and Hope, 10:45 a.m. in the Wait Chapel — The Wake Forest Baptist Church will share a service with Britain by high-resolution video. More information [PDF]
• Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011:
  Service of Remembrance and Reflection, 4 p.m. in the Community Mosque of Winston-Salem — Auman and Griggs will participate.
• Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011:
  Performance of Dan Locklair’s “Remembrance,” 5:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church — Locklair is the composer-in-residence and a professor of music at Wake Forest.
• Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011:
  Service of Remembrance, 7-8:30 p.m. in Wait Chapel — Includes short readings from different faith traditions, music by the concert choir, an interpretive performance by the dance department, and a symbolic lighting of candles. President Nathan Hatch will provide a reading, and Auman and Gladding will make remarks.
  View a photo gallery from the event »
• Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011:
  The Impact of 9/11 on American Politics, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Auditorium 404, ZSR Library — Dr. Katy Harriger will trace the impact of 9/11 over the last decade on the American political system, with particular emphasis on presidential politics and constitutional law.

Wake Forest coverage

Three perspectives on 9/11
What does an academic institution have to bring to our understanding of world events? This question, explained Political Science Department Chair Katy Harriger, led to the idea for an academic panel discussion about the impact of 9/11. Read more »

WFU commemorates Sept. 11
Wake Forest will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks with a service of remembrance in Wait Chapel at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. Other events will take place on or around campus through Sept. 11.
Read more »

9/11 legacy: Middle East studies
As the nation sought to understand the attacks, college students (like Charles Klug, pictured) looked for more opportunities to study the politics, culture and language of the Middle East. The surge translated into more related courses and the development of the Middle East and South Asia Program (MESA) minor.
Read more »