W&L Community to Observe 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks Washington and Lee will honor the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, with a series of commemorative events on campus Sept. 10 and 11.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
September 8, 2026

Washington and Lee University will mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a series of events for the W&L and Lexington communities, including a student-led flag planting on Sept. 10 and a morning ceremony and an evening memorial service on Sept. 11. The events will honor the 2,977 lives lost and recognize those who responded on Sept. 11, 2001, and in the days that followed.

On Thursday, Sept. 10, volunteers will gather at 5:30 p.m. to place 2,977 American flags, one for every person killed on Sept. 11, on the lawn surrounding Stemmons Plaza. The flag planting, funded by the Executive Committee of the Student Body (EC), is an annual tradition on campus and is organized this year by the College Democrats and College Republicans student organizations.

On Friday, Sept. 11, community members are invited to gather in the courtyard outside the Ruscio Center for Global Learning at 8:45 a.m. for a memorial service. Attendees will observe a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. while the University Chapel bells toll to mark the moment American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Interim President Ken Ruscio ’76 will preside over the ceremony and speak in memory of those who died.

“While most of our current students were not yet born on Sept. 11, 2001, many of our faculty and staff will never forget the terrible events of that day,” Ruscio said. “The 25th anniversary of 9/11 is a time for all of us to come together to honor the legacies not only of those who were lost, including two of our own alumni, but also the heroes who came forward to help those in need.”

Joining Ruscio in offering remarks will be student leaders Rose Williams ’27L, 3L class president of the W&L School of Law, and John Beekman Youngblood ’27, president of the EC. Dr. Ralph Caldroney ’72 will also speak. Caldroney served eight years in the U.S. Army Reserves after volunteering for duty on Sept. 12, 2001.

“I knew my country was going to war and I knew what my duty was,” Caldroney said of his military service. “My remarks 25 years later will cover the events of Sept. 11, my military voyage, the concept of noblesse oblige and the citizen soldier concept. I’ll also reflect on whether this was an isolated event and the implications for the future.”

Later in the day, the College Democrats, College Republicans and the Generals Redoubt will hold a memorial service on Stemmons Plaza at 5 p.m. to reflect, remember and honor the legacy of those lost, including W&L alumni Rob Schlegel ’85 and James Gadiel ’00. Schlegel served on the staff of the chief of naval operations at the Pentagon and had been promoted to commander just weeks before the attacks. Gadiel worked in the equities department of Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

The service will include a moment of silence, an interfaith prayer, remarks from student leaders and music performed by the University Singers.

All of the commemorative events on campus are open to the public.