Editor's note: The edited excerpts of the following article, written by then-Daily Editorial Board member Jamie Cox, originally appeared in the Sept. 13, 2002, issue of the Daily.
A year after the university community joined together in horror and in mourning, students, faculty and administrators gathered again in front of Ballou Hall on Sept. 11, 2002, to remember last year's tragedy. Although the shock has begun to fade, the continuing need for community was apparent from the turnout of roughly 850 people at the Academic Quad memorial service.
University Chaplain David O'Leary opened the "Service of Remembrance," which began at 5 p.m., by asking for a moment of silence. He then spoke about the "university family" and the way in which it joined with others throughout the country in response to Sept. 11.
On behalf of Imam Noureddine Hawat, Tufts' Muslim chaplain who could not be at the service, O'Leary read a passage from a book entitled "Islamic Way of Life" that said religion "declares that all people in the world are sprung from the same parents, and therefore are equal."
The chaplain also shared a fitting passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah that read, "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
O'Leary highlighted the civilians, police, firefighters, families of the victims and other people affected by last year's events and said it is important to "remember we are a global village."
Calling the Sept. 11 attacks "unspeakable acts committed against ordinary people," University President Lawrence Bacow said the victims "were guilty only of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Bacow spoke of the lesson learned from the tragedies of the importance of community and of the fragility of life. "If there is a lesson in this tragedy, it is that we must savor every minute and make the most of what we have," Bacow said…
Bacow said he was pleased with the turnout at the memorial service, as well as at Wednesday's other campus events. He described the mood on campus as "contemplative."
"People have paused and thought about things in a way that they normally don't do in their daily lives," Bacow said…
The service's purpose was to bring the community together, Rabbi Jeffrey Summit said, adding that the community had a responsibility to do so.
"Communities have to mark important times that we've all lived through together. This was a way to not let this pass," he said.
