Here at the college we have a wonderful History department and several societies of preservation. They work in concert to preserve things close to home and our home itself. The College of William and Mary and Williamsburg would not be the oasis that they are without the tireless effort of the few and dedicated historians who managed to preserve what was left of the town and rebuild the rest. Indebted we shall always be to them.
However, our society’s identity and our history do not purely stem from the beautiful buildings of old or the illustrious history of our area. Our society’s history is far greater. We are as affected, if not more strongly affected, by the memoriam of the acts on September 11, 2001 than many of the colleges and organizations in our country. Seven of our compatriots, seven of our classmates, seven of our peers perished among the many that day, and may their names never be forgotten.
Alysia Christine Burton Basmajian ’00
James Lee “Jimmy” Connor ’85
Michael Hardy Edwards ’90
Mark Gavin “Lud” Ludvigsen ’91
Christopher William Murphy MBA ’98
James Brian Reilly ’98
Gregory J. Trost ’97
History is about knowing where you come from; history is about knowing your past. On this day of remembrance, truly think about those atrocities that happened that day. For me that has been the hardest and deepest struggle of my adolescence. I knew people in the Trade Towers and the Pentagon; my family knew people in the Trade Towers and the Pentagon. The day the world stopped, we wept, and continue to do so for the ones we knew, loved and lost. But as a society we must continue the memory of all who lost their lives that day. We must immortalize their names so they may never be forgotten.
But foremost we must remember a few of the Tribe who are gone. While all life is valuable, our connection to all Tribe members is a deep connection that is never broken, even in death. Sad though it may be, they are a part of who we are, and I will never forget that.
As a society we must be, “A link among the days to knit the generations each with each.” We must tell those young and unwitting of our grief and sorrow, we must tell others our stories so we can link together in tenacity. No longer are we angry, for anger goes nowhere. Now we must simply grieve and forgive. Arm and arm we must remember the events of that fateful day, that infamous day, and teach others about it but most of all, most importantly, we must never forget September 11, 2001.
Email O.M. Telmore at o.m.telmore@gmail.com .