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Auburn History helps tell the stories of September 11

From Opelika to New York, Auburn historians are supporting the mission to never forget the September 11 tragedy.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit visited Alabama for the first time on the tragedy’s 24^th anniversary. Hosted by the East Alabama Regional Training Association, and co-sponsored by community partners including the Auburn Department of History, the exhibit includes artifacts from Ground Zero, memorials to the people who made the ultimate sacrifice and guided tours by first responders.

Students will have exclusive access to the mobile exhibit during its stay. Department of History Chair Melissa Blair said it’s an invaluable experience for students to learn how to curate powerful exhibits, engage with the public and appreciate the weight of personal experience behind the stories.

“Speaking with the docents, I suspect, will be particularly meaningful for our students,” Blair said. “Seeing how these men function to both narrate the story told through the artifacts and provide their own firsthand experiences and feelings from the day and its aftermath will encourage our students to reflect on the many different ways historians, docents and other public history professionals shape the stories we tell.”

Matthew Riad, a sophomore in history and member of the Auburn History Club, volunteered at the mobile exhibit. His parents lived in New York City in 2001 and saw the tragedy firsthand, so he hopes visitors to the exhibit feel a real connection by hearing firsthand accounts.

“It means so much to every American. There are obviously a lot of people who remember it happening, but they don’t know what it was like firsthand,” Riad said. “We should always remember what happened, keep in mind everybody that gave their life and everybody that is still alive who helped out that day, and the people who are still battling health issues from it. Everybody should try to educate themselves on it.”

Bill Puckett, 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit manager, said it’s important to reach students to help them understand the significance of September 11, 2001. Even if they were not born yet when it happened, 9/11 had a huge impact on the country.

On a national level, it was the single largest loss of life in history. On the individual level, people still fight cancer, mental health struggles and other medical conditions because of exposure to 9/11.

“If you live in the United States of America, it is your history,” Puckett said. “People, and especially our kids, need to understand the sacrifices that people have made for them to enjoy the life they live today, not only just on September 11, 2001, but our veterans and what they endured after that day to protect our country. We have what we have and we do what we do because of those individuals.”

In New York City, history alumna Brucie Porter ’25 ensures those sacrifices are not forgotten at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. She’s an exhibit developer, focusing on presenting artifacts in ways that tell the story of September 11.

Porter said her experiences at Auburn, such as working with the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Consortium, prepared her to approach history with care.

“Those experiences as a public historian prepared me to be able to really communicate emotionally complex narratives to a broader audience. Stories that are critical to our understanding of our national identity, large pieces of our shared history together and how we interpret things that speak to who we are as a nation has always been a driving force for what I do.”

Brucie Porter '25, 9/11 Memorial & Museum exhibit developer

Porter said her work at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum brings together research and storytelling to communicate the sobering reality of September 11. As the memorial approaches the 25^th anniversary of 9/11, Porter said exhibits are a crucial part of making history real for visitors.

“We’re at a point in time now where most of our visitors are younger, and they don’t have a lived memory of 9/11,” Porter said. “The fact that 20 years ago, you had a team of people who did this work to make sure that the students of today can be able to learn about this story, puts in perspective how important the work actually is. We’re coming up on a turning point in the narrative of 9/11 itself, so we have to rethink how we present this history to audiences who have no lived, emotional connection to it.”

The Tunnel to Towers 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit will be open to the public Sept. 13-14 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sept. 15-16 from 3-6 p.m. at Southern Union State Community College.

For more information, visit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation website.

Tags: History Students Alumni