Students at West Virginia University are remembering those whose lives were lost on Sept. 11, 2001 with a vigil and tree lighting.

Students in WVU’s Air Force and Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps will hold a vigil from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in front of the Downtown Campus Library on Saturday (Sept. 11).

A wreath will be lit and displayed in front of the library, and a different ROTC cadet will stand guard for each half-hour during the 12-hour vigil.

A bronze plaque in front of the library, which was presented by WVU student leaders on the one-year anniversary of Sept. 11, reads “We remember: The spirit of those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, lives in each of us.”

“It is important to remember that not all our casualties of war are overseas. This is a symbol and a powerful reminder of such an intimate thing,” said Steven Mallamo, a junior Air Force ROTC cadet from Milford, Del.

Members of WVU’s Student Government Association will also be decorating and lighting a West Virginia evergreen, also a gift from WVU student leaders, in front of the library on Saturday. The tree will remain lit throughout the day.

“What happened on Sept. 11, 2001 was a tragic event in American history. It affected the entire country, and the students here need to remember that and keep it in the back of their minds,” said Chris Lewallen, president of student government.

Student government is also working on a blog that will be up on Saturday for students to leave comments about their experiences and how Sept. 11 has affected them. The blog will be available on the SGA website at http://sga.wvu.edu/ .

WVU lost two alumni in the terror attacks: Chris Gray, a 1992 and 1994 graduate who was working as a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald, and Jim Samuel Jr., a 1993 graduate who was working as a commodities broker for Carr Futures. Both worked at the World Trade Center Towers. Scholarship funds were set up in their memory through the WVU Foundation. The University also maintains a website in memory of the victims: http://www.wvu.edu/we_remember/ .

-WVU-

cd/09/09/10

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