Stony Brook University held a Day of Remembrance on September 11, 2025, marking the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of 21 alumni. The campus community gathered under clear skies to pay tribute through several memorial activities.
At 8:46 am, the moment when the first plane struck the World Trade Center in 2001, campus chimes rang out 21 times. Throughout the day, students, faculty, and staff visited the Memorial Arch to lay white roses in honor of those lost.
The event included planting pinwheels in the Memorial Pinwheel Garden as part of an annual tradition. Janet Masini, director of Alumni Programs, stated: “The Alumni Association and University Advancement are 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.”
A new initiative was introduced this year by the Campus Beautification Committee. The “Enduring Memories” mural project invites community members to contribute drawings and messages reflecting their experiences or thoughts about September 11. The completed mural will be unveiled for next year’s milestone anniversary. Mitch Trinka, digital media manager for University Advancement and committee member, commented: “There are some people here on campus where 9/11 isn’t still fresh in their mind. 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.”
Eliza Rein, a junior linguistics major whose father worked as a Verizon first responder after the attacks, participated in creating a tribute message. Rein shared: “I wasn’t around at the time, but it’s pretty deeply impacted my family. 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: “It feels really good to be able to contribute to a public project like this.”
Other events included a blood drive and meditation sessions for reflection and remembrance. A screening at Charles B. Wang Center featured documentaries along with a segment on Benjamin Luft, MD—director of Stony Brook’s World Trade Center Wellness Program—who has recorded oral histories from first responders affected by September 11.
The names of Stony Brook alumni who died on September 11 are engraved on both sides of Milton Glaser’s Memorial Arch.
University President Andrea Goldsmith addressed students and staff with words recalling both loss and resilience: “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.”
