A silent crowd of students and community members congregated in University Hall yesterday to observe the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks -- a time, President John T. Casteen III said, "when events defeat words and the unimaginable overwhelms our ability to understand."
From a small podium in the center of the floor, Casteen faced the hundreds of University community members, Charlottesville residents, families and children who had gathered to remember the day, the tragedy, its heroes and its victims.
"We need now to get beyond the language and shock and outrage to discover new words of reflection and renewal," Casteen said.
A framed American flag stood behind the podium, flanked by rows of local police officers and firefighters. Encased in heavy glass, the flag once had flown at the Pentagon just 20 yards from the Flight 77 crash site. Weatherbeaten and faded, the flag was spotted with fuel stains from the fuselage of the hijacked airliner that slammed into the building. Below the display was a list of the names of those killed in the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77.
As participants arrived for the 11:30 a.m. service, ushers at the doors distributed short lengths of white ribbon. After Casteen's opening remarks, Student Council President Micah Schwartz invited all in attendance to write on the ribbons their personal thoughts or emotions related to Sept. 11.
Schwartz said the ribbons will serve as a tribute that Council will display by the tennis courts at Emmet Street and University Avenue before moving them to special collections in Alderman Library.
The memorial service centered on a series of readings, speeches and prayers related to the four themes of loss, vulnerability, courage and hope. The readings included poems by Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou and Jalal al-Din Rumi.
Religious Studies Prof. Abdul-Aziz Sachedina read a prayer from the Koran in Arabic, which was followed by a Hebrew translation of Psalm 23 by Heena Reiter, the director of the Gesher Center for Jewish Spirituality.
University Police Chief Paul Norris described the service as "fantastic."
"September 11 is something [police and firefighters] think about every day. It's nice to know we're appreciated," he said.
The event was co-sponsored by the University, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Clergy Association, the You've Got a Friend Foundation and Council.
Schwartz, who helped organize the event with fellow Council member Sarah Jobe, said the memorial service surpassed the sponsors' expectations.
"In times like this, we're quick to retreat to our own comfort zone," Schwartz said. Sept. 11 "really calls for solidarity. We wanted to provide an event where people of different backgrounds could come together."
Charlottesville firefighter Brian Powell described the ceremony as "a nice service that spoke to everyone."
Casteen said the memorial "did what the community wanted it to do, and did that with dignity and purpose."
"Watching the students in the audience and in the choral group, I was struck by the intelligence and compassion evident on their faces as the event unfolded," Casteen said. "It was a powerful time and experience for the community."
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