When walking around campus, you’ve probably noticed flags hanging around the inside of the Campus Center Atrium and New Academic Building. These flags represent the United States of America and say the words “NEVER FORGET.” They list the names of those who lost their lives at the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks twenty-one years ago, and emergency personnel and first responders who died during the attacks.
Among these names include SUNY Old Westbury alumni: James J. Carson of Baldwin, New York (Class of 1993); Dennis Michael Edwards of Huntington, New York (Class of 1988); Wade Brian Green of Westbury, New York (Class of 1984); Joseph Maloney of Farmingville, New York (Class of 1980); and Anthony Perez of Locust Valley, New York (Class of 2000).
Michael Kinane, SUNY Old Westbury’s Vice President of Communications & College Relations, said, “In addition to their names on the banners, these men are remembered with a monument and two trees planted outside the Student Union Rotunda.”
On September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the Twin Towers, leading to their collapse and the loss of many lives. Another plane crashed into a portion of the Pentagon in Washington D.C.. Passengers on United Flight 93 learned of the previous events while in the air, and the passengers fought against the hijackers, and the planes eventually crashed into a field in Western Pennsylvania. The final destination of this hijacked flight remained unclear but was on its way to Washington D.C..
2,996 people, including the five SUNY Old Westbury alumni, perished in these attacks led by Osama bin Laden, an Al Qaeda leader.
The flags honor the SUNY Old Westbury alumni who perished and the events that took place. Although the attacks occurred twenty-one years ago, they continue to impact us today. Kinane said that the flags “remind people of these historic, life-changing events by connecting those events to the past, present and future.”
Kinane continued, “The campus’ 9/11 memorials are meant to mark an important point in history while spurring introspection among those who see them about impacts, both immediate and over time, that the historical event has made on our lives and our society.”
