America’s Free Enterprise University Commemorates 25th Anniversary of 9/11
Through the Northwood Unity initiative, Northwood University commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks through athletics, education, personal testimony, service and a public memorial. Across seven events, the university invited people to remember those who died, learn from those who carried their stories forward and honor those who serve.
The Silent Memorial Walk was the largest undertaking of the commemoration. Students, faculty and staff worked together to turn Hantz Stadium into a life-size tribute to the 2,977 people killed in the attacks. The public memorial opened at 7:59 a.m. Sept. 11, the time American Airlines Flight 11 departed, and remained open throughout the weekend so visitors could walk through and reflect.
The installation represented the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the aircraft. Cannon blasts marked significant moments between 8:46 and 10:28 a.m., followed by taps. Behind that solemn experience was a campus-wide effort: hundreds of people gave their time to create a place of remembrance for Northwood and its neighbors.
Northwood Unity began Sept. 3 with a Red Bandanna Game at men’s soccer. The event honored Welles Crowther, whose actions during the attacks became known through the red bandanna he wore. On Sept. 8, students attended a documentary screening about 9/11.
The next day, students and faculty who had visited the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City shared their experiences at a Soup and Substance discussion. Their reflections helped connect a generation born after the attacks with the people and places at the center of that history.
On Sept. 10, Northwood professor Dr. Scott Warner presented “102 Minutes That Changed Our World,” a personal reflection shaped by his experience as a Gold Star father. His son, U.S. Marine Pvt. Heath D. Warner, was killed in action in Iraq in 2006.
Alongside the Silent Memorial Walk on Sept. 11, Northwood hosted a community blood drive, offering a way to serve others on the anniversary. The observance concluded Sept. 12 with Heroes Day at a Northwood football game, where the university recognized first responders, military members, veterans and Gold Star families.
No single event could tell the whole story of Sept. 11 or its aftermath. Together, Northwood Unity’s events gave students and the wider community ways to learn, remember and act. Hundreds of students, faculty, and volunteers from the Great Lakes Bay Veterans Coalition worked side by side to help build the memorial so others would have a place to pause and remember.