September 8, 2021

Dear Members of the Drexel Community,

Memorial wreath at the 10th anniversary commemoration, Great Court, Main Building, Sept. 9, 2011

The approaching 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorism attacks on New York, Western Pennsylvania and the Pentagon presents an important opportunity for the entire Drexel community to remember those whose lives were cut short or altered irrevocably that day.

The events of 9/11 impacted untold numbers of Americans — from the victims and their families who mourned, to the survivors and first responders, and to the soldiers deployed to thwart terrorism in the many years since. On Drexel’s campus, which grieved its own losses, and which is the academic home for hundreds of student-veterans, we pause in our daily routines this week to honor them all.

Among the almost 3,000 people who lost their lives during the attacks at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, were two members of the extended Drexel community. At a memorial service on the Drexel Korman Quadrangle at 9 a.m. this Saturday, September 11, 2021, we will remember them and all who perished. I hope you will join us. If possible, RSVP here.

This milestone year is perhaps the first time that so many current Drexel students will have no personal memory of this devastating attack on America. By sharing the observance of the day with them, and with succeeding generations, we can strive to convey to our whole community the importance of being ever vigilant in preserving freedom and democracy.

Sincerely,

John Fry
President