CHAMPAIGN — A memorial at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign honored the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked four airliners.
The ceremony featured officials from Champaign, Urbana and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
U of I Chancellor Charles Isbell said he lived in the New York area when the attacks took place 25 years ago. He says while many students at the University weren’t alive during 9/11, it’s important to remember the events.
“It is important that we memorialize them. It is important that we reflect upon them, and we let them help us to make a better world, not just the world that we’ve inherited,” Isbell said.
Another speaker, Urbana Mayor Deshawn Williams said communities shouldn’t just remember the tragedy, but also the courage that was on display.
“We remember the firefighters who ran toward danger, while others ran away,” Williams said. “We remember police officers, emergency responders, healthcare workers, military personnel, volunteers, and ordinary people who stepped forward to help. We remember neighbors helping neighbors, strangers helping strangers.”
Firefighters rang bells to memorialize first responders who were killed. Later in the ceremony, bagpipers played “Amazing Grace.”
Champaign resident Rhonda Daniels said she came to the ceremony because she used to work at the Pentagon — and lost 30 coworkers in the attack.
“They were fun to work with. Some of the best people I ever ever worked with, and I miss them. I wish I had had more time with them. They made my life so wonderful, and they deserve to be remembered,” she said.
Daniels says she carries pictures of those lost in the attack on the Pentagon.
