WFU commemorates Sept. 11

Student holding candles in front of Wait Chapel

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.

“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.”

The service of remembrance will include short readings from different faith traditions, music by the University’s concert choir, an interpretive performance by the University’s dance department, and a symbolic lighting of candles. University President Nathan Hatch will provide a reading. Auman and Counseling Department Chair Samuel Gladding will make remarks. Dr. Gladding worked with the families and loved ones of victims in New York following the terrorist attacks and contributed to the grief counseling efforts of the American Red Cross.

Out of respect for the solemn nature of the service, cameras will not be permitted inside Wait Chapel.

Wake Forest has several commemoration events planned, with the service of remembrance as the centerpiece.

On Thursday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m., the University will host an academic panel discussion in room 401 of the Benson Center. The panel is titled “Reflections on 9/11: Three Perspectives on its Impact and The Future.” Political Science Professor Hank Kennedy, an expert on South Asian governmental systems, will reflect on world changes resulting from 9/11. Professor Gladding will talk about his experience in New York after the attacks and Imam Khalid Griggs will discuss the Muslim experience in the U.S. since 9/11. Political Science Department Chair Katy Harriger will moderate the panel and guide a discussion to reflect on 9/11, the last decade, and the future, from different perspectives.

Thursday, Sept. 8 through Saturday, Sept. 10, University students, faculty and staff will participate in the National Day of Service in collaboration with HandsOn Northwest North Carolina. Additionally, the Campus Kitchen at Wake Forest University welcomes students, faculty and staff to participate in the cooking and delivery shifts on Sunday, September 11. Campus Kitchen is a food recycling program that uses cooked but never served food from the campus dining hall to make healthy and nutritious meals for the needy of our community.

On Saturday, the Wake Forest football team will commemorate the anniversary during its home opener against NC State. 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 morning, the bells in Wait Chapel will ring to coincide with the time the four planes went down ten years earlier 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.

At 10:45 a.m. Sunday, memories of 9/11 and hopes for peace will be shared by audiences in the U.S. and Britain in a joint service at Wake Forest Baptist Church in Wait Chapel, and simultaneously at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, United Kingdom. High resolution audio-visual will connect the two sites. More information on this service is available here.

Sunday at 4 p.m., University Chaplains, Rev. Timothy Auman and Imam Khalid Griggs, will participate in “A Service of Remembrance and Reflection” at the Community Mosque of Winston-Salem.

Event information will be updated on the Wake Forest website at www.wfu.edu/outreach.

Categories: For Alumni, For Parents, University Announcement