Then-Ohio University President Robert Glidden gave the following address at a candlelight vigil held on campus the evening of Sept. 11, 2001.
This is a very sad day in American history and in the history of the world. It is a difficult time for all of us. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said on December 7, 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, “This is a day that will live in infamy.” And of course, in the annals of our nation, September 11, 2001, is a day that will also live in infamy.
I assure you that you will remember this day and its events for the rest of your life. You will remember exactly where you were when you first heard the news … you will remember who told you … you will remember who you were with … you will remember your thoughts and reactions … and you will remember what you felt inside in ways that defy verbal description.
It is a very emotional time … a time of strong feelings that almost overwhelm us. And at such a time, it is appropriate for us to reflect on our feelings … and perhaps to appreciate our feelings. I’m certain that at some time today you thought about the safety of loved ones, or imagined yourself in a similar crisis and how you might have responded. I was in Columbus this morning but my wife received calls from two of our three daughters and an email message from the third, wondering if I was flying somewhere and concerned about my safety. I, too, thought about them, of course — one lives in Washington and another’s husband is a criminal investigator for the U.S. Navy. There have been numerous reports on campus of sons, daughters, interns, colleagues and others who may have been in the vicinity of the World Trade Center or near the Pentagon.
As we deal with our emotions and try to make sense of what has happened, we also realize that we may never make sense of this. These attacks constitute a violation against our society that shakes our comfort and security. They remind us of how fragile life is, of how tenuous our existence can be. They also remind us of how very important our loved ones and our communities truly are.
Please remember that it was hate that caused this tragedy, and hate will not undo it, it will not help us heal, nor will it resolve any differences.
As terrible … and senseless … and frightening … and frustrating as this tragedy is, please remember that our first thoughts must be of love and compassion — they must be for the victims, their families and their loved ones.
Thousands of people have been and more will be affected by this. We don’t know yet how many have died, how many have been injured, but it seems certain that the number of casualties will be in the hundreds and probably in the thousands, and of course many, many thousands more will suffer their loss.
As tempting as it may be for some of us, let us not react with anger and hate. We don’t even know to whom any such anger would be directed, and it may be some time before we do know.
Let our government … our law enforcement agencies … deal with the perpetrators. For us, it is important not to presume and it is essential not to stereotype. Remember Oklahoma City, when the first accusations were against international groups and those presumptions turned out to be false. To my knowledge we do not know who planned and executed these attacks, so let us not point fingers before these events have been thoroughly investigated.
Please be especially sensitive to and protective of our international community. They are a part of our community and they are as horrified by this as anyone. I want to be sure that we have no incidents that make any members of our international community uncomfortable. Of one thing we can be sure, they are not to blame.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight to be together. It is a time for collective reflection and collective healing. Please focus your thoughts on the victims — those who have died and the many others who have been injured — and their families, and give thanks for the brave men and women of law enforcement, security, and the health professions who are working so hard to ease the pain of the victims and their loved ones.
Please pray, don’t point. Please reflect, don’t react. And please comfort, don’t accuse. I ask you to show our sense of community by being supportive of everyone in our community.
After all, that is the lesson we can take away from this terrible tragedy … love and community are all important. Let us remember that truth … as we will remember this day for the rest of our lives.
