SUNY Plattsburgh held its annual 9/11 commemoration this afternoon to honor those who perished in the 2001 attacks, including two graduates of the college.
On the edge of Hawkins Pond there is a plaque inscribed with two names: Robert Sutcliffe, from the class of 1984, and William Erwin, Class of 1992. Both died during the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11th, 2001. Every year members of the campus community gather by the plaque to remember the events the grim day.
Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Michael Cashman was a student at SUNY Plattsburgh at the time.
“The day’s events come searing back and I remember coming out of class and seeing on the large tv’s in our college center the events unfolding ‘til later on that day being part of the Residents’ Assistance team going door to door, knocking on doors, talking with residents educating them with what was unfolding from the information that we knew at that time. And a lot of our students, like they are today, are still from downstate, so they were trying to get ahold of friends and family members. You couldn’t get through on the phone lines and it was very heartbreaking. It still is.”
Omicron Delta Kappa President and senior Nicole Malatino was born after the attacks.
“We believe that there are timeless lessons that we all need to be reminded of in hopes that this type of event does not happen again. At the forefront of these lessons is to teach individuals, groups, communities, states and countries to resolve conflicts in nonviolent and peaceful ways.”
The honor society’s vice president, senior Robert Henn, said while fear consumed citizens 22 years ago, love and compassion allowed the nation to prevail.
“As someone who was only about nine months old during the attacks, I have no recollection of the immediate grief and overwhelming feelings of sorrow that swept across our nation and the world as a whole. However growing up in what many refer to as a post-9/11 world I do, and will always remember, how the generations before me so reverently used those same feelings of love and compassion to not let loss impede our nation’s ability to care for one another and most importantly to build back stronger than ever before.”
Henn said 9/11 reminds his generation to keep going regardless of any obstacles.
“Although a majority of my generation did not watch the towers fall, we did watch the Freedom Tower rise and that is proof that we have the power to rebuild in the face of adversity. We chose unity over indifference, compassion over callousness, perseverance over stagnation, and most importantly we chose and will always choose love over fear.”
Campus Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Allison Heard used health and medicine as an analogy for healing from the terrorist attacks and hatred.
“When you think about today, while it is important to focus on 9/11, I can’t have you stop there. I just need you to do a little extra to make us free from the disease of hate, because I promise you it’s a disease. Because to remember is to make a commitment never to forget.”
About 50 people attended the commemoration.
Some audio is courtesy WCAX-News.
