W&L, Local Community Gather to Remember 9/11

The event honored W&L’s Robert Schlegel, ‘85, and James Gadiel, ‘00, among the other victims.

The Washington and Lee community recently gathered to honor and remember the lives that were lost in the 9/11 attacks on the United States. The event was sponsored by College Democrats, College Republicans, and The Generals Redoubt.

Students gathered in Stemmons Plaza on 10 September to plant 2977 flags, each representing a life lost that day. Faculty members and students alike stopped what they were doing to lend a hand and have a moment of reflection.

“It was great to see our student community come together and work as one to place the flags honoring those who lost their lives,” said Frankie Maloof, ‘25, a member of the Varsity Baseball team. “It served as an opportunity for all to reflect on how this tragedy impacted everyone in our great nation, including our W&L community.”

The next day, students, professors, and community members gathered on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 for a short memorial service. After opening with a prayer and a performance of “Amazing Grace” by university musicians, Associate Provost Paul Youngman, ‘87, took to the podium for some thoughtful remarks.

Next to the podium was Brady Madden, ‘26, president of College Democrats. “Let us remember not only the tragedy of 9/11 but also the resilience, compassion, and strength that emerged in its aftermath,” he said. “The events of that day forever shaped our world, but they also taught us the power of coming together as a community, as a country, and as human beings.”

After Madden, College Republicans president Henry Haden, ‘25, spoke. “We can take freedom for granted each day. Living a life of freedom is easy. Attaining a life of freedom is not,” he said. “We must reclaim that unified American spirit that brought us out of this day 23 years ago. It is why on this day we place flags to remember 9/11.”

After the speeches, the crowd had a moment of silence to reflect on the attacks and the speakers’ remarks. Everyone in attendance was then invited to walk around the flags for further reflection as the University Singers sang “The National Anthem.”

Attendee Raja Mehendale, ‘28, later shared his reflections with The Spectator. “It was a really touching event with great speeches and was overall a fantastic tribute to the nearly three thousand people that lost their lives on 9/11,” he said.

(A livestream of the event may be viewed on The Generals Redoubt’s YouTube Channel.)