UNH Campus Mourns Losses on 9-11

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The University's Thompson Hall Lawn was filled with hundreds of administrators, faculty members, staff and students in a ceremony of remembrance, including an emotional President Ann Weaver Hart. She reminded listeners that four UNH alumni, including Professor Robert Leblanc, were among the victims.

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"We all have much in common with the firefighters and police officers, the computer programmers and bond salesmen, the mothers and father, the wives, the husbands and partners, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, sisters and colleagues."

But the University's new President also pointed out that the tragedy has drawn the community together.

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"We have created new and important conversations, whether it's been among our families, with our peers, or with our colleagues. These conversations have taken place in classrooms, in University lecture halls, in Town Halls and in places of worship"

With the large gathering standing or sitting nearly motionless during the lengthy ceremony, members of the Durham Fire Department stood at attention, officers in formal uniforms and gloves, firefighters in jackets and helmets. Durham Fire Chief Ronald O'Keefe.

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"The firefighters wanted to show the public what they look like, and that's their traditional garb, their helmet and coat, so to honor their fallen brothers and sisters in the fire service, they wanted to not put on their dress uniforms as we did."

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A fire truck then rang three rounds of five bells, at 10:05 and 10:25 a.m., to memorialize 343 of their brethren killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. At the University of New Hampshire in Durham, this is Roger Wood, for NHPR News.