Heads bowed in silence at City Hall Plaza as the first church bell rang at 8:46 a.m. and the second at 9:03 a.m., the exact times the first and second planes struck the North and South tower of the World Trade Center in 2001.
The City of Gainesville hosted a public ceremony Friday to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11. About 120 people attended the event to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the terrorist attacks and reflect on what the tragedy still means a quarter-century later.
Mayor Harvey Ward welcomed the audience by asking a question that would shape much of the ceremony: What comes after remembrance?
“What’s next? We’ve talked for a quarter of a century about what happened and how those of us who went through the mourning of 9/11,” he said. “But about 40% of America has no living working memory of that day because either they weren't born yet or they were just too young.” he said.
Ward urged the audience to think about how the country carries the memory of 9/11 into the future.
He said grief matters and may never go away, but remembering loss shouldn’t prevent people from moving forward.
“There has to be a point at which you say I put this on the shelf and I can see it and I will remember it and I will be reminded of it,” he said “but I will be inspired to do better because of it.”
According to the 9/11 Commission Report, first responders helped evacuate about 25,000 people from the World Trade Center.
Mike Cooksey, 73-year-old retired Alachua County firefighter, still remembers the moment he heard about the attack.
Cooksey was at a fire department training session when a fellow firefighter rushed into the room and told everyone to turn on the TV.
Over two decades later, Cooksey said he remains grateful for the first responders. Most first responders know they will encounter danger, but choosing to run head-on into danger knowing they might not make it out alive takes immense bravery, he said.
"The other good that I saw that came as a result of 9/11 was how the country came together," Cooksey said. "There was no left and right. There was no rich or poor or black or white."
Sonia Klein, 58, was supposed to be heading to Washington D.C. at the time of the attack and remembers watching the tragedy unfold.
“[At] that moment, the entire world was with America,” she said. “Everyone united for a moment.”
Ward urged the older and younger generations alike to take their hardships and use them as opportunities to grow. He invited residents to consider how they could use their freedom to honor those who sacrificed for it.
Jackson Allen, a 25-year-old Santa Fe College student, said Friday’s remarks left him with a sense of pride and desire to serve others.
“I’m going into nursing,” he said “I would love to make a difference.”
Anna Westbrook, 23, is also trying to turn that message into action. She volunteers her time on a congressional campaign, hoping her work will benefit the community. The remarks reminded her of the importance of courage, a quality she hopes she and others will “strive to embody,” she said.
Dr. Saheed Khan stepped up to the podium.
Khan, director of UF’s training program in urological research, encouraged the audience to look for good even when confronting tragedy.
“The emphasis on something bad being done should not become just the focus of it,” Khan said.
Throughout the ceremony, speakers returned to the same themes: finding good amid the loss, holding onto hope and passing the responsibility of remembrance to the younger generation.
Ed Book, a Gainesville city commissioner, emphasized the importance of recognizing the lives that were saved as well.
The ceremony ended with Ward reciting a proclamation declaring Sept. 11, 2026, Patriot Day in Gainesville.
“Join me in observing this day with acts of kindness, generosity and service to honor the victims and heroes of this horrific attack so that their sacrifices may never be forgotten,” Ward said.
Mia Driaza is a contributing writer to the Alligator. Contact her @miadriaza@ufl.edu
