Stony Brook Community Marks 24th Anniversary of 9/11

On the morning of September 11, 2025, the sky over Stony Brook University was clear and cloudless, similar to the conditions of that day in 2001, as the community gathered to honor the 21 alumni lost in the terrorist attacks.

At 8:46 am, the time the first plane struck the World Trade Center, the campus chimes rang 21 times, once for each alumnus lost. Throughout the day, students, faculty, and staff visited the Memorial Arch and laid white roses in remembrance of the fallen.

The annual Day of Remembrance included other opportunities to remember and honor the fallen. Community members planted pinwheels in the Memorial Pinwheel Garden, a display to honor the lives lost that day. "The Alumni Associationand University Advancementare honored to be a part of the university remembrance of 9/11 as the pinwheel garden remembers the 21 alumni and community members that were lost that day," said Janet Masini, director of Alumni Programs.

This year also marked the beginning of a new tribute. The Campus Beautification Committeelaunched "Enduring Memories," a mural project that will be unveiled on the 25th anniversary in 2026. Members of the community were invited to create drawings and messages of their feelings or memories surrounding September 11.

"There are some people here on campus where 9/11 isn't still fresh in their mind," said Mitch Trinka, digital media manager for University Advancement and a member of the committee. "Just seeing how many students are coming up here to draw or write, and what memories they have, is wonderful. Many of them don't even know that we lost alumni, so we're making connections here, and we are collecting these memories to display them next year."

For Eliza Rein, a junior linguistics major, the event was personal. Rein wrote a tribute to their father, a Verizon first responder who worked to restore communications in the aftermath of the attacks.

"I wasn't around at the time, but it's pretty deeply impacted my family," Rein said. "Every year he needs to go to the hospital for cancer screenings because of all the smoke and tar he inhaled. When my mother goes into the city, she can't look up for too long without getting shaky and overwhelmed with memories. So it's a wound that's still open in our family."

Rein added that the project provided an opportunity to express the personal connection to 9/11. "It feels really good to be able to contribute to a public project like this," Rein said.

The memorial events also included a blood drive, meditation sessions for remembrance and reflection, and a screening at the Charles B. Wang Center. The program featured documentaries and a 60 Minutes segment on Benjamin Luft, MD, director and principal investigator of the Stony Brook World Trade Center (WTC) Wellness Program, who recorded the voices of first responders through the Remembering 9/11 Oral History Project.

Engraved on the sides of the Milton Glaser-designed arch are the names of the alumni who were among the nearly 3,000 people lost that day: Joanne Ahladiotis; Jean A. Andrucki; Michael A. Bane; Carlton W. Bartels; William F. Burke Jr.; Michel P. Colbert; Stephen M. Fogel; Steven E. Furman; Richard S. Gabrielle; Kuifai (Raymond) Kwok; Edward J. Mardovich; Rudy Mastrocinque; Michael P. McDonnell; Manika Narula; Christopher M. Panatier; John W. Perry; Lisa J. Raines; Jonathan S. Ryan; Margaret M. (Walier) Seeliger; Peter A. Siracuse; and Walwyn W. Stuart Jr.

Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith, in a message to the campus, reflected on both the tragedy and the resilience that followed. "I can still remember exactly where I was when I first heard of the unfolding tragedy, and the shock, fear, uncertainty and heartbreak as I learned of the damage wrought and lives lost that day," she wrote. "I also vividly recall how our country united to support one another in the aftermath of those unfathomable events. Since my arrival to Stony Brook, I have been moved by how supportive you all are of one another, particularly in challenging times. I know that spirit will infuse the events surrounding our September 11 reflections and comfort all those in our community affected by the events of that tragic day."

- Beth Squire