College of Education and Human Development
A Remembrance for 9/11
It's a beautiful, clear, cool day in Virginia, one very much like September 11 of eleven years ago. The email I received this morning is a sorrowful and sweet reminder of how connected we all are.
Russ Brayley, a division director in the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism, began teaching at George Mason University in 2001. During the second week of classes, he watched as we all did the horror of September 11.
"Immediately after the attacks, a retired man who was taking my 'Global Understanding Through Travel and Tourism' course stopped coming to class," said Brayley. It was only later that the gentleman was able to return to Mason. It turned out that his former office at the Pentagon was the one directly hit by Flight 77.
Ironically, the other class Brayley was teaching that year was a special topics course called "Terrorism and Tourism," a look at how global tourism is shaped by complex issues of government policies, economic development, political realities, and personal safety.
Today, eleven years later, Brayley is at Alexandria City Hall. The post 9/11 changes in government security measures had delayed his initial application for U.S. naturalization. (He is an Australian-born Canadian citizen). But in a special administrative session, he will, this morning, be one of 25 people participating in a ceremony to become a U.S. citizen.
For many reasons, it is a day to remember.
Alexandria City Hall, Virginia.
For additional information:
- Contact CEHD Communications: cehdnews@gmu.edu
- College of Education and Human Development: cehd.gmu.edu
- School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism: rht.gmu.edu
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