The Clarkson University Air Force and Army ROTC color guard at last year’s 9/11 remembrance ceremony.

POTSDAM -- Clarkson University and members of the local community will gather at Clarkson's World Trade Center Memorial Sculpture at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11 for Clarkson's annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony.

The memorial is located across the road from the Rowley Laboratories building (#14 on the map at http://www.clarkson.edu/about/clarkson_map.pdf .)

A silent vigil will also take place earlier that day at 8:30 a.m. at the memorial.

The event is open to the public. Members of local rescue squads, fire or police departments, the military, and veterans are invited to attend in dress uniform. If the weather is inclement, the ceremony will take place in the Student Center forum (#15 on the map at http://www.clarkson.edu/about/clarkson_map.pdf .).

On September 11, 2001, almost 3,000 people perished in the terrorist attacks on American soil, including four Clarkson University alumni.

The steel in Clarkson’s World Trade Center Memorial is from 55th floor of the World Trade Center's south tower.

Clarkson alumnus Michael Bielawa was one of a group who led the 9/11 cleanup at the World Trade Center. After his first-hand experience with the disaster, Bielawa requested that the New York City Office of Emergency Management donate steel from the World Trade Center to Clarkson to be used for a memorial. Several years of planning and fund-raising led to the installation of a memorial at Clarkson in 2005.

This site was dedicated as a memorial to four alumni who lost their lives in the tragedy.