Remembering September 11

To The Trinity College Community,

Twenty-five years ago today, our nation experienced a tragedy that remains etched in our collective memory. Those who lived through September 11, 2001, remember the shock and sorrow that began early that morning. We remember nearly 3,000 people who left their homes that morning and never returned. We remember the courage of the first responders and ordinary people who ran toward danger to help others. We remember the families who endured unimaginable loss, and communities that were forever changed. And we recognize that for many of our students today, September 11 is not a memory but history, making our responsibility to remember, and to help them understand the human weight of that day, even more important.

At Trinity, that loss is direct. Six members of our alumni community were lost on September 11: John C. Hartz ’59, Lindsay C. Herkness III ’65, George E. Spencer III ’73, Richard B. Hall ’74, Stuart T. Meltzer ’90, and Scott M. Johnson ’97. Today, I write to remind our community of their names and ask that we remember them not simply as victims of an act of terror, but as Bantams, as classmates, friends, colleagues, husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons whose lives were connected to this College and to generations of people who loved them. Twenty-five years cannot diminish the enormity of their absence, nor should the passage of time diminish our obligation to honor their lives. At 11:30 a.m. today, the Chapel Carillon will be rung six times in honor of the members of our community whose lives were lost that day, each bell a solemn remembrance of a life that remains part of Trinity’s history.

I hope each of us will take a moment to remember the six members of the Trinity community and all who were lost, while holding close those who continue to carry the grief of that day. The events of September 11 remind us how suddenly the world can change, but it also reminds us of the extraordinary capacity of people to care for one another in moments of profound loss. May we honor the day by caring for one another, by contributing to our sense of belonging as a college community and by carrying forward a spirit of compassion, service, and shared humanity.

With care,

Dan

Daniel G. Lugo
President, Trinity College