Twenty-Four Years Later: Remembering and Reflecting Together
September 10, 2025
Dear Stony Brook Community,
This week, communities around New York, across the nation and throughout the world will pause and reflect on the 24th anniversary of September 11. This day of reflection provides an opportunity for our Stony Brook community to come together to remember and honor all of the lives lost on that day, including 21 members of our alumni community. On this day, we also pay tribute to the courageous first responders and heroic civilians who selflessly risked their own lives to save countless others as the tragedy unfolded.
The Stony Brook campus community is invited for quiet reflection to remember the events of September 11 at the Memorial Arch near the Humanities Building tomorrow from 8:30 am-2 pm. At 8:46 am, the campus chimes will ring 21 times in honor of each member of the Stony Brook alumni community who perished on that day, and whose names are engraved on the Memorial Arch. There will also be an opportunity to plant a pinwheel on the Academic Mall from 11 am-3 pm, serving as a reminder and a tribute to those we lost. Information about campus-wide opportunities to gather and reflect can be found here.
I can still remember exactly where I was when I first heard of the unfolding tragedy,
and the shock, fear, uncertainty and heartbreak as I learned of the damage wrought
and lives lost that day. I also vividly recall how our country united to support one
another in the aftermath of those unfathomable events. It was truly inspiring to witness
people across the nation showing such compassion, kindness and understanding to one
another. Since my arrival to Stony Brook, I have been moved by how supportive you
all are of one another, particularly in challenging times. I know that spirit will
infuse the events surrounding our September 11 reflections and comfort all those in
our community affected by the events of that tragic day.
Sincerely,
Andrea Goldsmith, President