To mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the university will host and participate in events across campus and the Athens community, including a lecture from an FBI agent who responded to the attacks a decade ago.
“A Time to Remember, A Time to Prepare,” a free lecture from FBI Special Agent Andrew Young will place at 1 p.m. Sept. 9 in Room 141 of the Tate Student Center.
David Walker, an agent with the Department of Homeland Security, will speak immediately after the lecture about anti-terrorism efforts in Georgia.
The lectures follow an emergency preparedness fair and public safety vehicle display at the Tate Center Plaza, which will take place from 10 a.m. to noon. Part of the university’s observance of National Preparedness Month, the events are sponsored by the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness. The Center for International Trade and Security co-sponsors the lectures.
“When we started planning to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we knew that we wanted the events to include information about more than preparations and responses to terrorist incidents,” said Steve Harris, director of OSEP. “Natural disasters like the recent earthquake on the east coast and Hurricane Irene offer a real opportunity for the public to get very relevant information about how to prepare themselves and their families for hazardous events that aren’t related to terrorism.”
The vehicle display features automobiles such as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime scene truck, UGA police vehicles, the Oconee County Emergency Management’s mass casualty vehicle, the FBI Special Response Team’s mine resistant ambush protected vehicle and more.
The fair features booths from organizations such as the Red Cross, UGA’s College of Public Health, the university’s Environmental Safety Division and OSEP itself. More information about the lectures, information fair and vehicle display may be found at www.osep.uga.edu.
In addition to those events, an exhibit of items collected from around the Arch in the days following the 9/11 attacks will be on display in the lobby of the main library through September. These items, which include handmade memorials, American flags and more, are maintained by University Archives within the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The objects are part of an online exhibit, which can be viewed at http://www.libs.uga.edu/hargrett/archives/sept11/photos.html.
On Sept. 11, several on- and off-campus events will mark the anniversary. The UGA Chapel Bell will “ring to remember” the victims of the terrorist attacks. The bell’s chimes will coincide with the precise moments of each of the four plane crashes: 8:46 a.m., 9:03 a.m., 9:37 a.m. and 10:03 a.m.
From 5-9 p.m. Sept. 11, Global L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Education, Adventure and Diplomacy), which offers service-oriented spring break opportunities to students, will stage an event for service professionals and their families at Barrow Elementary School. Called “Serving Those Who Serve” the program, will offer a variety of events, services and discounts for local residents—emergency responders, teachers, the American Red Cross employees— who have dedicated their lives to service. For more information, visit www.globalleadprogram.org/911-3.
Mitos Andaya, associate director of choral activities in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, will conduct a community singing of Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem” at 6:30 p.m. at Athens First Methodist Church, 327 N. Lumpkin St.
The event, which features singing accompanied by orchestra and organ, is sponsored by the church and the Athens Choral Society. It is open free to the public.
At the same time, a ceremony will be held at the 9/11 Memorial Trail, a homemade monument created by Bob Hart, a retired College of Education faculty member. The trail is located at 320 Morton Farm Lane, Athens, and the ceremony should last approximately 30 minutes.
For more information about the trail, visit www.bobhartart.com.
Additionally, at 9:11 p.m. on Sept. 11, a gathering will be held at the Tate Student Center flagpole to commemorate the history, strength and unity of the U.S.
