To start the ceremony, Jason Burke, assistant vice president of student experience and executive director of veteran and military affairs, raised the Quad’s American flag to half-staff with the assistance of two student military veterans. Reyes then invited all to pause and observe a moment of silence which began at 8:46 a.m. — the time that the first hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center (WTC) 25 years ago. During the poignant two-minute observation, the only sound heard across the Quad was the tolling of the clock tower bells.

Led by bagpiper Ken Storrs, students, faculty and staff holding white carnations walked in a remembrance procession along Bobcat Way to the Pasquale “Pat” Abbate ’58 Alumni House and Gardens.

There, Burke helped to lead a memorial tribute honoring alumni Frank H. Brennan ‘72, James "Chris" Cappers '92, Timothy C. Kelly '85 and parents Louis Fersini, Jr. P ’21, Joseph Mascali P ‘02, P ‘05, P ‘14/'17, John Ogonowski P ‘08, James Waring P ‘09.

At Quinnipiac, Burke said Brennan stood tall among his classmates at 6’7” and was a leading member of the men’s basketball team. After graduating, he went on to become a senior vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald, located in the north tower of the WTC.

“He was most proud of his affiliation with the New York Police and Fire Widow’s and Children’s Benefit Fund headed by former Mets player Rusty Staub,” said Burke. “The night before the attacks, Frank and Rusty met to review plans for a November benefit.”

A member of the Class of 1992, Cappers was nicknamed “Clark Kent” by his Alpha Chi Rho brothers and played lacrosse and rugby at Quinnipiac, where he also met his wife, Kathleen. Their two sons, Alex and Andrew, were 2 years old and 6 months old at the time of the attacks. Alex was an assistant vice president at Marsh & McLennan in the WTC north tower.

“His floor was directly within the impassable zone after Flight 11 struck the north tower. None of the Marsh & McLennan staff in the tower survived that day,” said Burke.

The youngest of five children, Kelly stood out from the crowd as someone his wife, Julie, described as a “Dapper Dan,” due to his love of fashion of the 1940’s, Burke said.

“He loved to wear silk handkerchiefs, butterscotch loafers and a camel hair coat,” Burke shared.

Cappers’ daughter Caroline was born on September 4, 2001, joining siblings Kevin, 6, and MaryKate, 3. Cappers, a municipal bond broker, worked at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 101st floor of the north tower.

Mascali, a member of FDNY Rescue 5, became a proud Quinnipiac parent through his children, Jen ’02 and Chris ’05 (later followed by Katie ‘14/’17). A career firefighter, Mascali had earned a unit citation for saving civilians from a building collapse, going on to become a certified EMT first responder and confined space and high-angle rope rescuer. In Mascali’s honor, Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey’s Heroes Hat annual rivalry game with Yale was established shortly following 9/11. The Heroes Hat trophy is a replica of his firefighter helmet.

“Joe was a family man who took tremendous joy in being with his family,” Burke said.

Karla Natale ’99, MS ’14, associate vice president for community partnerships and university events, shared a letter the Mascali family penned to the Quinnipiac community for the 25th anniversary commemoration.

“We are so grateful to you all for honoring the memory of our dad,” they wrote. “Twenty-five years ago tonight, this community came together for a prayer service on the Quad. From that moment forward, Quinnipiac embraced our family in a way that we have never forgotten.”

Concluding the ceremony, Natale invited attendees to leave their carnations at the event’s garden memorial site. The gathering of flowers accumulated around a thoughtfully arranged display featuring commemorative photo placards honoring each man.

Carrying a small American flag he brought to campus for special occasions, Alex Fitts ’30 of Hoboken, New Jersey, said he felt it was important to attend this commemorative event.

“I think it’s important to be here to acknowledge the lives lost, the sacrifices of people and the significance of what happened to our country that day,” said Fitts, a political science major. “It’s important every year, but especially this year because it’s the 25th anniversary.”

Adhira Arun ’27, a computer science major and Marine Corps veteran, and Alexander Kahn, a Navy veteran and first-year student at the Quinnipiac School of Law, assisted Burke with the ceremony’s flag raising. Both military vets said they were gratified to have the chance to join their university community in commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

“It’s always so special to see the country come together to commemorate such a horrific event in our history,” Arun said. “My own life was very heavily shaped by 9/11 itself, both my interest in joining the military and in my family history.”

Kahn said the ceremony was a time to come together and reflect.

“It’s a terrific opportunity come together with the community you’re in, and to show gratitude to first responders and those that lost their lives,” Kahn said.

The ceremony was followed by a Tunnel to Towers fundraiser event in the Recreation and Wellness Center. In partnership with Quinnipiac EMS, the fundraiser will support families affected by 9/11. Participants climbed the 2071 steps (110 floors) that the heroic first responders climbed 25 years ago.

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