9/11 Memorial Groundbreaking slated for 14th Anniversary
COLLEGE STATION – The groundbreaking for a new 9/11 Memorial will be held at 9 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2015, at the headquarters of Texas Task Force 1 in College Station, and the public is invited to the event. Speakers will include Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, TX-TF1 Director Jeff Saunders, Former Vice Chancellor and Dean of Engineering Dr. G. Kemble Bennett, and Gary Sera, Director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). A reception will follow the groundbreaking.
The focal point of the memorial will be a section of steel recovered from the World Trade Center and donated to TX-TF1. It will incorporate contextual panels about the events of 9/11 and serve as a living memorial, where people can gather and interact. Members of TX-TF1 will be memorialized on the site, and it will be a pet-friendly environment in memory of TX-TF1 canines.
Second-year architecture students at Texas A&M University will be submitting designs for the project this fall. The memorial is expected to be completed and dedicated on the 15th anniversary 9/11 in 2016.
Media Opportunity
When: Sept. 11, 2015, at 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Where: Headquarters of Texas Task Force 1; 101 Gateway, College Station, TX
(Signs will direct guests to parking.)
Interview Availability:
- Jeff Saunders, Director of Texas Task Force 1, who responded to the Pentagon after 9/11 as a member of New Mexico Task Force 1
- Gary Sera, Director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service
- Retired TX-TF1 K9 Bretagne, last surviving search and rescue dog from 9/11, and her handler Denise Corliss, who both deployed to Ground Zero
About Texas Task Force 1
TX-TF1 is sponsored by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and has deployed over 90 times since 1997, including the Sept. 11th World Trade Center attack; Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy; the West, TX, explosion; Moore, OK, tornado; and Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike. TX-TF1 can be activated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management or as one of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 28 sanctioned urban search and rescue teams. The Task Force consists of three separate teams of 70 members, who range from firefighters and medical personnel, to structural engineers.
About TEEX
TEEX is an internationally recognized leader in the delivery of emergency response, homeland security and workforce training and exercises, technical assistance, and economic development. Last year, TEEX served more than 169,000 people from every U.S. state and territory and 79 countries worldwide. TEEX makes a difference by providing training, developing practical solutions, and saving lives.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Brian Blake, TEEX Communications Director
[email protected]
PH: 979-458-6837, Cell: 979-324-8995