Athens, Ga. – To mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the University of Georgia will host and participate in events across campus and the community, including a lecture from an FBI agent who responded to the attacks a decade ago and a community-wide musical celebration conducted by a UGA choral director.
“A Time to Remember, A Time to Prepare,” a free lecture from FBI Special Agent Andrew Young, will take place Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. in room 141 of the Tate Student Center. Immediately following, David Walker, an agent in the Department of Homeland Security, will speak about anti-terrorism efforts in Georgia.
The presentations follow an emergency preparedness fair and public safety vehicle display at the Tate Center Plaza, from 10 a.m. to noon. A part of the university’s observance of National Preparedness Month, the fair and lecture will be sponsored by the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness. The Center for International Trade and Security is co-sponsoring the lecture.
“When we began planning a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we knew that we wanted the events to include more than preparations and responses to terrorist incidents,” said Steve Harris, director of OSEP. “Natural disasters, such as the recent earthquake on the east coast and Hurricane Irene, offer a real opportunity for us to share with the public very relevant information about how to prepare themselves and their families for hazardous events that aren’t related to terrorism.”
The vehicle display will feature 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 MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected) vehicle and more.
The fair features booths from such organizations as the Red Cross, UGA’s College of Public Health, the university’s Environmental Safety Division, as well as OSEP. More information about the lecture, information fair and vehicle display can be found at http://www.osep.uga.edu/.
In addition to Friday’s 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 UGA library throughout the month of 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 remembrances and three off-campus events with a university connection will mark the anniversary.
Throughout the day, 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.
In addition, there will be a gathering at 9:11 p.m. at the Tate Student Center flagpole to commemorate the history, strength and unity of the U.S.
Off campus, from 5 – 9 p.m., UGA’s Global L.E.A.D., or Leadership, Education, Adventure and Diplomacy, which offers service-oriented spring break opportunities to students, will stage an event for military veterans and their families at Barrow Elementary School in Athens, across from the UGA Butts-Mehre building. Titled “Serving Those Who Serve,” the event, will offer a variety of programs, services and discounts for those who have given their lives to service. For more information, see http://www.globalleadprogram.org/911-3.
At 6:30 p.m., Mitos Andaya, associate director of choral activities in UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, will conduct a community singing of Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem” in the sanctuary of Athens First United Methodist Church, located at 327 N. Lumpkin St. The event, which will feature singing accompanied by orchestra and organ, is sponsored by the church and the Athens Choral Society. It is open and free to the public.
At the same time, a commemoration ceremony will be held at the 9/11 Memorial Trail, a homemade monument created by Bob Hart, former director of information technology in UGA’s College of Education. The trail is located at 320 Morton Farm Lane in Athens, and the ceremony is expected to last 30-40 minutes. For more information about the trail, see http://www.bobhartart.com/.
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