On the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Malibu residents come together to remember those who died and to honor the heroes who risked their lives to save others.
By Cortney Litwin/Staff Writer
Under the predawn indigo sky of Sept. 11, they streamed silently into Stauffer Chapel at Pepperdine University, which glowed like a beacon overlooking the ocean. They filled the pews and stood in the aisles, and finally overflowed out into the courtyard. This sunrise service to commemorate the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks was one of many events in Malibu, and throughout the country, that drew people together seeking solace and unity with fellow mourners, or to simply share the day with others.
Ken Durham of the University Church of Christ led the service at Pepperdine “to mark a moment of sorrow and loss from a year ago.”
A bell was rung at the exact moments of the plane crashes, its tones echoing throughout the chapel and marking a heartrending time in America’s history when more than 3,000 lives were lost.
“The bell literally struck a resonate core,” Durham said afterward. “As we got further into the service, I saw it was moving people to tears.”
And whether people came to grieve for those who had died in the attacks or to honor the courageous rescuers who had saved so many lives, Durham said his intention was to “facilitate whatever response they needed.”
In addition to the traditional reciting of prayers and singing of hymns, youngsters Sam and Hannah Perrin read a handful of children’s prayers as the sun gradually rose, illuminating the colorful swirls of stained glass behind them.
A local hero from last year’s tragedy is Thomas Burnett Jr., a Pepperdine alumnus who was killed when Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field. During that fateful flight, Burnett had phoned his wife, Deena, telling her that he and several other passengers were plotting to thwart the hijackers’ plans. During his fourth call, he told her that a group of passengers was definitely going to try and do something. It was the last time husband and wife spoke to each other. Local Topanga Canyon resident Thomas Pecorelli also died in the terrorist attacks in the plane that hit the North Tower. He was 30 years old and left behind his wife, Kia Pabloff, who was pregnant.
Burnett was honored during the Pepperdine Founder’s Day Convocation that afternoon, where Deena, who had traveled to the Pennsylvania crash site for a tribute to those on Flight 93, appeared in a video in her husband’s honor. Afterward, faculty and students made a silent procession to Alumni Park to formally dedicate a memorial called Heroes Garden, which will be located on the Drescher Campus and will feature a flagpole, a plaque and inspirational inscriptions.
In contrast to the reflective mood of the Pepperdine activities, the Malibu Vineyard Christian Fellowship produced a multimedia celebration that evening, complete with rocking hymns led by youthful church members who were accompanied by a band. The audience was invited to join in the revelry, and for anyone unfamiliar with the lyrics, the words were projected onto screens. On a more solemn note, the Vineyard showed a video collection of images of the destruction of the World Trade Center, and tearful interviews with witnesses.
Debi Naidoo, sitting in the audience, mirrored the feelings of many Americans. She came to the event “to remember the victims and to get together with other people,” she said. “I thought it would be uplifting. The whole day has been so sad.”
Other religious activities in Malibu included a “Prayer and Remembrance” service at Our Lady of Malibu Catholic Church and a special Shabbat on Friday evening at the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue.
The Los Angeles Fire Department also hosted remembrances throughout the county with flag ceremonies and prayers. Each station read a list of names of New York firefighters who had died in the line of duty on Sept. 11.
Topanga Canyon resident Susan Nissman, a senior field deputy from Zev Yaroslavsky’s office, visited Fire Station 70 at Carbon Canyon.
“She came to give us her support and show appreciation for the job firefighters do,” said Capt. Bob Haskell.
Expressing appreciation for the heroes who risked or lost their lives to save the victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Flight 93 was a sentiment repeated throughout the day and throughout the country, on this first anniversary.