Pepperdine University is presenting a special 9/11 remembrance on its Malibu campus today, Sunday, September 11, 2011, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the attacks on America. Amid a breathtaking display of 2,977 flags on the university’s expansive lawn, honoring the victims and emergency responders who died on 9/11, Pepperdine presented a reading of the victims’ names beginning at 11 a.m. A total of 20 readers from service, charitable, religious, and professional organizations joined 15 individuals from the Pepperdine community in reading the names.
At 4 p.m., Pepperdine will hold an hour-long memorial service commemorating the lives of our fallen heroes. The program will include remarks by Pepperdine President Andrew K. Benton, L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, former California Governor Gray Davis, California Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, and Deena Burnett Bailey, whose husband, alumnus Thomas E. Burnett, Jr., was one of the heroes who perished on Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
A viewing of the film United 93 at Elkins Auditorium portraying the heroism of United Flight 93 crew and passengers who fought back against the terrorists screened earlier in the day. Actor Christian Clemenson, who portrayed Burnett, discussed the film following the screening.
Pepperdine’s Heroes Garden, located on a bluff overlooking the central campus and the Pacific, will be open to visitors all day long except from 2 to 2:30 p.m. for a private ceremony. Free parking will be available on campus.