Faculty Remembers 9/11

September 11, 2001.

The day that continues to lay heavy on the hearts of Americans everywhere.

The four terrorist attacks (by Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda) targeting the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the country’s capital, have forever left a mark on this nation’s history.

Due to the attacks, the country’s security is now at an all-time high, the war with the Middle East is ongoing and citizens continue to share their memories of the tragic day.

Professor of history and political science Dr. Sherri Raney said she remembers the great amount of confusion expressed on the radio, news stations and even on campus.

“As I was driving and hearing the reports, I was, of course, shocked, and as a historian I’m thinking about the Murrah Building bombing and the older disasters in my life like Robert Kennedy’s death or Martin Luther King’s death,” Raney said.

While thinking about the older disasters, specifically the bombing in Oklahoma, she said she was questioning who the mastermind behind the attacks might be and if, like the Murrah bombing, it was a fellow American, but that she didn’t want to jump to any conclusions.

When she got to her first class one of her usually punctual students came to class late and started questioning the events and the possible cause.

“I took the position during that class that we wouldn’t try to speculate about what had happened or who did it that fast,” she said. “We would go on with the class material and when we knew more we could talk more about it.”

Professor of history Dr. Carol Humphrey said all the students and faculty on OBU’s campus were upset as they were watching the story unfold, and that they all came together to help each other through the process.

They had students from the east coast who were worried that they might know someone hurt in the attacks, so other students were helping them to reach out to friends and family.

“What I saw not just at OBU but overall, was that it brought people together and inspired patriotism,” Raney said. “Our country had been attacked and initially it unified Americans in opposition to extremism.”

Even today, the memory of 9/11 impacts the campus in memory of those who were lost.