For those gathered at Penn State Berks to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the message was familiar: Never forget.
More than 40 stood in silence around a black granite monument erected on the campus nearly a quarter-century ago to ensure that the attacks, their victims and those who responded would be remembered.
For Rose Glaser, who led the community effort to create the memorial, Friday’s ceremony was a continuation of something she began in the months after the attacks.
“This was the end result of what I wanted to do, so people could come and visit this and not forget,” Glaser told the assembly.
The Muhlenberg Township woman worked with members of the rock ‘n’ roll dance group she founded, Rosie’s Oldies Dancers, to raise $10,600 for the monument dedicated on the first anniversary of the attacks.
Rose Glaser of Muhlenberg Township, who led the effort to erect a granite memorial on the Penn State Berks Campus honoring the victims of and responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, speaks at a service Friday in front of the memorial. (MICHELLE LYNCH/READING EAGLE)
On the 25th anniversary, Glaser stood beside it again as community members gathered to remember those who died, honor those who responded and reflect on how the country changed in the aftermath of the attacks.
The ceremony began with a prayer led by James Lewis, also of Muhlenberg, remembering the victims, first responders and others whose actions on Sept. 11 became symbols of courage, including the passengers aboard United Flight 93 who fought back against their hijackers.
The prayer also honored members of the armed forces who served in the wars that followed.
Glaser followed with a brief history of the monument created by Schuylkill County artist Kenny Hawes of P.F. Eisenbrown & Son Memorial Inc. Hawes worked from 5-by-7-inch photographs and used a ballpoint pen-sized tool to etch the intricate images on the granite, she said.
State Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock then reflected on the national unity that followed the Sept. 11 attacks.
Americans checked on their neighbors, donated blood and collected food and supplies for first responders, she recalled.
State Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock reflected on the national unity that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. during a ceremony Friday at granite memorial on the campus of Penn State Berks. (MICHELLE LYNCH/READING EAGLE)
“It didn’t matter what your political party was. It didn’t matter what your political beliefs were,” Rusnock said. “It mattered that we all were Americans, and we shared that together.”
Rusnock said that sense of unity stands in contrast to the divisions many Americans feel today.
But it should not take another tragedy to bring people together, she said.
Instead, she urged those attending to take small steps in their own lives: smile at someone, make eye contact, check on a neighbor, volunteer, help someone in need or listen to someone whose life experiences differ from their own.
More than 40 gathered Friday around a black granite monument on the Penn State Berks campus to reflect on the terrorist attacks, the victims and those who responded 25 years ago.
(MICHELLE LYNCH/READING EAGLE)
“We don’t have to agree on everything,” she said.
People can still choose to treat one another with kindness, dignity and respect, Rusnock said.
Those small acts, she said, offer a way to put the familiar promise to never forget into practice.
“Small steps lead to big changes,” Rusnock said. “And 25 years ago today, tragedy is what brought us all together. And today, we have the opportunity to bring ourselves together.”