On Friday, Sept. 11, 25 years after the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, Syracuse University gathered to share solemn moments of remembrance and hope.

A 9/11 Memorial Service, 25 Years of Remembrance and Resilience, was held in Hendricks Chapel. At the same time, members of the University and greater Syracuse communities were climbing stairs in the JMA Wireless Dome to honor the New York City first responders lost on that day.

Remembering Through Prayer and Reflection

The memorial service, a partnership between Hendricks Chapel and the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, began with the ceremonial ringing of 25 chimes at 8:46 a.m., the time that the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The attacks resulted in 2,977 lives lost that day: 2,753 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 aboard United Flight 93—a litany the Rev. Corey MacPherson, dean of Hendricks Chapel, offered as both fact and prayer.

He recalled Father Mychal Judge, the New York City Fire Department chaplain and first officially recognized victim of the attacks, carried from the North Tower and laid before the altar of a nearby church.

“The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,” MacPherson said of the moment, recalled by a colleague who witnessed it.

Alex Dietrich, interim chief human resources officer and a former Navy fighter pilot, shared a reflection on that day. She described standing before an aircraft on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, oblivious and self-absorbed on what was supposed to be her first flight of Navy Flight School—before everything changed.

Dietrich recounted, years later, being interviewed by a student for a class assignment and stumbling over dates and sequences she thought she knew by heart, realizing that “a feeling belongs to the person who felt it, but a fact can be handed to someone who wasn’t there.”

Her charge to the room was simple: “learn the names, carry the numbers accurately and then act forward—find something bigger than yourself and give yourself to it.”

Frank Caravita ’29, a medicinal chemistry major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and Army ROTC cadet, performed the national anthem. The Syracuse University Brass Ensemble, led by James Spencer, professor emeritus in the A&S, and Jose “Peppie” Calvar, professor in the Setnor School of Music in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, performed musical selections during the service.

Prayers and reflections throughout the service were spoken in Korean, English and Hebrew, as chaplains from different traditions spoke of peace, justice and the refusal to let grief harden into hatred.

Twenty-five candles were ceremonially lit by Imam Amir Durić, assistant dean for religious and spiritual life, to symbolize healing and hope, and to recognize a personal and public commitment to serve as instruments of peace.

The service closed with the Mourner’s Kaddish, performed by Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Natan Levy, and the long, mournful call of the shofar.

Climbing to Remember

At the same time, more than 100 members of the community climbed stairs in the JMA Wireless Dome to remember the 343 New York first responders who died on 9/11. The event was sponsored by Syracuse University Ambulance in collaboration with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). The climb raised more than $5,100 for the NFFF.

SUA members handed out memorial cards bearing the photos of fallen 9/11 first responders. Participants were encouraged to take one, to wear it and to research the story of the person on the card.

SUA Vice President Christopher Henderson Jr. ’28, a public health major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, organized the memorial climb. He is a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Conklin, New York, following in the footsteps of his dad.

Henderson was not born when 9/11 happened, and he says it is important for all, especially future generations, to honor and remember the sacrifice made by first responders on that day.

“They set a precedent for how you respond to emergencies, how you look at them and how you treat them afterwards,” he says. “A lot of responder safety issues have been improved since that time, and it is important we continue it. We owe the 9/11 first responders a debt of gratitude.”