Iona College to Honor 15 Alumni and Others Who Lost Their Lives in Tenth Anniversary 9/11 Memorial Service, Other Events Planned to Pay Tribute to 9/11

New Rochelle, NY – Iona College will hold a 10th Anniversary 9/11 Commemoration service at noon on Friday, September 9, to honor the memory of 15 alumni and the nearly 3,000 others who lost their lives during the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.

The 15 alumni who will be honored are Thomas W. Hohlweck, Jr. (’74); Joseph P. Kellett (’96); Michael A. Lepore (’84); Laura M. Longing (’94); Michael F. Lynch (’94); Francis N. McGuinn (’83); Dennis P. McHugh (’90); Michael E. McHugh (’95); Robert McPadden (’99); Diana J. O’Connor (’86); Joseph R. Riverso (’91); Edward Ryan (’81); Joseph Spor, Jr. (’88); Sean P. Tallon (’96); Joanna Vidal (’96).

The memorial service, to be attended by the families and friends of the 15 deceased alumni, members of the Iona administration, faculty, students and representatives from the community, will be held at the Murphy Auditorium. The Iona Pipers Band will participate in the service which will continue with a procession to the 9/11 Memorial Garden where the names of the 15 alumni are engraved on a special plaque. Following the service, there will be a reception at 1:00 pm in the Thomas J. Burke Lounge, Spellman Hall.

At 2:00 pm, there will be a book signing reception with Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Robert Darling (Retired), an Iona alumnus of 1987, and author of the book, 24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker. In his book, Darling recounts what it was like firsthand responding to the terrorist attacks. He explains his important role as liaison between the vice president, national security advisor and the Pentagon and the supportive role he played when Vice President Richard Cheney ordered two fighter jets to shoot down United Flight 93. The book follows Darling as he witnessed Vice President Richard Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and others make decisions at a lightning pace with little or no deliberation. The reception will be held at the Romita Auditorium in the Ryan Library.

To register to attend the Commemoration service and the book signing reception, please visit www.iona.edu.
Iona will hold several other 9/11 observances throughout the week. Between Tuesday, September 6 and Friday, September 9, a Wall of Remembrance and Reflection will be on display in the Robert V. LaPenta Student Union Lobby. At 9:11 pm on Thursday, September 8, a candlelight peace vigil will be held at Mazzella Field. From 9:00 am to Noon on Friday, September 9, there will be faculty teach-in sessions at the Romita Auditorium in the Ryan Library.  All are invited to attend a liturgy with remembrance and blessings will be held at 7:00 pm on Sunday, September 11 at the Ferdinand Arrigoni Center.

Founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Edmund Rice Christian Brothers, Iona College is a private, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of American Catholic higher education.  Iona – currently listed in the top tier of US News and World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges 2011″; The Princeton Review’s Best Northeastern Colleges 2012 edition and Business Week’s Top 25 Undergraduate Business Schools in the Northeast – offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous post-graduate certificate programs.

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