University of Cincinnati Builds September 11 Memorial

A permanent, living memorial to those whose lives were lost in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is taking shape at the University of Cincinnati. An artist's rendering of the final design has now been submitted by George Hargreaves Associates, the designer of the award-winning UC Master Plan that has earned the university international recognition for its transformation of the urban campus. The completion of the memorial is projected for fall 2003 or early spring 2004.

Two young Washington American Elm trees, symbolizing the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, were planted on McMicken Commons last spring. In the final design, the memorial will be surrounded on two sides by a black polished granite wall 75 feet long, 18 inches wide and 18 inches tall. The wall, located in what will be a bustling area of UC's MainStreet project to transform the campus into a vibrant center of living and learning, will also serve as a sitting bench, where students, faculty and staff can reflect. The wall will be lighted at night. Until the wall is in place, a temporary black polished granite plaque with the inscription, "In Memory of Those Whose Lives Were Lost on September 11, 2001" rests between the two young trees, which have the potential to grow 60 to 80 feet tall.

Two of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks were UC graduates. Cathy Salter, a 1986 graduate of the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, was an employee for Aon Corp. She worked on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center's second tower. Lieutenant Colonel David Scales, a 1979 graduate of the College-Conservatory of Music, was working at the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

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