(Left to right) Darlene Kinney, Brian’s mother; U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan; UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen; and Alison Kinney Lewandowski, Kinney’s widow, place a wreath at the memorial bearing Brian Kinney’s name. (Phot courtesy Henry Marte)

LOWELL – Twenty-five years later, UMass Lowell once again paid tribute to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks during a somber ceremony at “Unity,” an outdoor memorial beside the Merrimack River.

Attended by students, staff, faculty, alumni, elected officials and community members, the ceremony centered on the families of those with ties to UMass Lowell who were killed in the attacks and who died in the wake of the tragedy.

The family members’ loss unites the university community in remembrance and care for one another, Chancellor Julie Chen said during remarks at the ceremony.

“It is through music and the sharing of stories that we honor the lives we carry with us today. We cannot know the full measure of your loss, but we can stand with you 25 years later,” she said. “By remembering who they were, we retain all that they contributed.”

Conceived and designed by UMass Lowell students, the “Unity” memorial is a circular, raised stone engraved with the names of UMass Lowell community members killed on Sept. 11.

During Thursday’s ceremony, UMass Lowell students and alumni shared details about each of those lost while standing beside their respective name on the monument’s stone. Other speakers invoked personal traits of each victim to honor their memory. The names engraved on the memorial are:

• Douglas Gowell ’71 of Methuen
• Robert Hayes ’86 of Amesbury
• Brian Kinney ’95 of Lowell
• John Ogonowski ’72 of Dracut, who was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 11;
• Patrick Quigley IV of Wellesley, husband of alumna Patricia Quigley ’86;
• Billerica native Jessica Leigh Sachs, daughter of UMass Lowell alumni Stephen and Karen Sachs ’69; and
• Christopher Zarba ’79, of Hopkinton.

Also remembered was UMass Lowell graduate Ryan Fortini ’98, a retired New York State Police trooper who died on Jan. 1, 2020, from illnesses stemming from his search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site in the months following the attacks.

Also during the ceremony, Chen recognized Carter Lindberg, a mechanical engineering major from Chelmsford and a U.S. Air Force ROTC cadet who is the recipient of the John Ogonowski Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to the top junior cadet who demonstrates integrity, service before self and excellence in all endeavors.

Other speakers included U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, state Sen. Vanna Howard, state Rep. Tara Hong, Lowell Mayor Erik Gitschier and Lowell National Historical Park Superintendent Julie Galonska. UMass Lowell Police Officer Allison Cummings performed “Taps.”

“This space reminds us of the true power of community,” Howard said. “We stand united in grief and in mutual care.”

In her remarks, Trahan recalled where she was when the attacks unfolded and how the country – particularly Merrimack Valley residents – responded.

“In the hardest days, this community did something I’ve never forgotten: they’ve never looked away,” she said. “For you (the families), this day is not history it is deeply personal.”

She also noted many of the students attending and participating in the ceremony were not yet born in 2001.

“The work of remembering is already in the hands of a new generation,” she said.

Lowell Fire Honor Guard members stand beside “Unity,” a memorial on UMass Lowell’s campus that pays tribute to individuals with ties to the university who were among the fallen in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. (Photo courtesy Henry Marte)