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| October 17, 2002 Volume 24, No. 8
Homecoming 2002 mixes celebration, reflection
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In the permanency of granite and the renewing power of nature, Binghamton University Saturday remembered the 15 alumni it lost on September 11 during the dedication of a Memorial Courtyard that will become an “evolving memorial that captures the spirit of what is at the center of our University.”
Dozens of family members and friends of the 15 alumni joined with several hundred members of the campus and community to dedicate the garden, under construction in the Fine Arts courtyard.
“It is our goal that this will always be a place where students, faculty and staff come for quiet reflection and inspiration,” President Lois B. DeFleur told the gathering. “It is our expectation that future generations will also wish to commemorate their loved ones here. This garden will thus be an evolving memorial, capturing the spirit of what is at the center of our University.”
Those attending the late afternoon ceremony were invited to plant one of the 850 spring bulbs that will provide a renewable memorial in the garden, before viewing three large granite stones emblazoned
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| Alumni from the Class of 2000 Jordan Altman, Arye Sapi and Eyal Eisig view the memorial stones bearing the likenesses and names of the 15 alumni. |
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Family and friends of the alumni were given private time in the garden prior to the dedication. The mournful sound of a bagpipe signaled the start of the formal ceremony, in which the names of the alumni were read by Paula Kramer Weiss ’79, representing the Alumni Association.
“These men and women were remarkable individuals, with widely divergent interests — some liked music, or camping and hiking, some liked to boat, or cook, or were active in their church,” DeFleur said. “They came from more than a dozen graduating classes, with majors ranging from English and biology to political science and management. At Binghamton they learned lessons and found friendships that would last long beyond graduation. Yet, while the University shaped them, they also touched the University. They were true and trusted friends, remembered fondly by their classmates, their professors and the staff who worked with them.”
Saul Zucker, father of Andrew Zucker ’95, said the garden would have had special meaning to his son because Binghamton held a special place in his son’s heart. “Binghamton was very good to him,” he said.
Tim Philippo ’97 and Monica Chan Philippo ’99 held hands and fought back tears as they recalled Jennifer Wong ’97, a classmate of Tim’s and mentor to Monica. An engineering student in the Watson School, Tim Philippo met Wong in the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship group.
The Philippos last saw Jennifer in August 2001, less than a month before she died while working in the Marsh & McLennan offices on the 96th floor of the World Trade Center.
Michael Radner ’86, the landscape architect who designed the Courtyard, said the renewable aspect of the garden was central to the memorial.
“The act of planting and tending a garden helps promote healing in many ways,” Radner said. “Planting a living thing gives us hope for the future…Creating something beautiful as a result of tragedy provides inspiration…Tending the garden promotes a sense of community rather than isolationism.”
More than 500 people donated funds towards the development of the Courtyard. Work will continue in phases as funds are raised. The plan calls for the area to have a small stream and other elements that mirror the sense of hills and rivers that surround the campus.