Tusculum University, Greeneville Flyboys Hold Ceremony to Observe 9/11 Anniversary
September 12, 2026, 2:23 p.m.
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| Tusculum women’s basketball players descend and climb steps. Image by Tusculum |
GREENEVILLE, TN - Memories of a tragic day in U.S. history which were also filled with stories of a positive response to the terrorist attacks resonated as the Tusculum University family and the community came together to observe the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
The university, its Athletic Department and the Greeneville Flyboys hosted a ceremony Friday, Sept. 11, to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost on that day in 2001 when planes struck the two towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and another crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The event, held at Eastman Credit Union Field at Pioneer Park, featured remarks, prayers, a moment of silence and the singing of “God Bless America” and the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
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At 8:46 a.m., a bell tolled to mark the time when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. That was preceded by a moment of silence to enable the audience to remember those who perished that day. At the conclusion of the formal ceremony, Tusculum family members and individuals from the community climbed 2,200 steps to symbolize the 110 stories of the World Trade Center towers.
“It’s important that we continue to remember not just the history or events of that day but to also remember the responses to that day,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “On that day, a lot of people were afraid – appropriately so – but we also need to remember that a lot of people really stood up and were incredibly brave and went toward the danger and went to help other people. We also need to remember that in that time of shock, many people turned to their faith and found strength in their community, found strength together, found strength in unity and found strength in God.”
 Levin Sudderth, a Tusculum alumnus, shares his memories of 9/11, when he was a student. Image by Tusculum |
 A firefighter prepares to descend steps during the stair climb. Image by Tusculum |
This event was part of the America 250/Tusculum 232 commemoration during the fall semester. All of the events highlight various aspects of American history, including those that occurred in East Tennessee. They also call attention to Tusculum’s contributions to the nation’s success. The list of events is available at iasite.tusculum.edu/america-250-tusculum-232-events/.
Attending the 9/11 ceremony was Levin Sudderth, a 2002 Tusculum graduate, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history education and is now a middle school social studies teacher in North Carolina. He was a student at Tusculum on 9/11 and discussed that day during his remarks at the event.
He was on a break from his political science class and headed to the Scott M. Niswonger Commons. Something immediately caught his attention. The television in the building was not on MTV or ESPN like usual but rather on the news, which was covering the events in New York.
“I saw smoke coming from the World Trade Center,” Sudderth said. “It was early on in the tragedy. As a crowd of students gathered around that small television, we watched this unfold, trying to listen to what was going on and speculate on what was happening. I didn’t return to class.”
Eventually, the numbers in the commons grew as students, faculty and staff sought to determine exactly what was happening.
“Then I remember the entire crowd drew a giant, simultaneous gasp as the first tower collapsed,” he said. “The oxygen sucked out of the room, and there was silence for what felt like a long time. That was followed by screaming, and some kids began to cry. I was in the group that just stood there silently kind of in shock, trying to process what I was watching.”
Sudderth is a third-generation firefighter and was an auxiliary member of the Greeneville Fire Department. He was moved when he saw footage of New York firefighters emerging from the clouds of dust for a break. He remembered seeing the white ash covering their gear and bodies and debris falling as they removed their helmets. Another image that stuck with him is what he called a “blank, 1,000-yard stare” in their eyes.
On a later date, Tusculum held a convocation to serve as a memorial, gather as a campus, process the grief everyone was feeling and memorialize those who died, Sudderth said.
“I specifically remember Dr. Jennifer Brooks speaking at that service and reading scripture from either Proverbs or Romans. It referred to forgiving our enemies and treating them with kindness, and if we do that, we gain the Lord’s favor. But it also is as if heaping hot coals on top of their heads through our forgiveness. I remember trying to process that concept of forgiveness against all that because I was angry like a lot of people. But I also remember Dr. Brooks rooting for the side of forgiveness when it’s appropriate.”
Sudderth said the perspective, wisdom and analysis offered by Dr. Brooks, Dr. Jim Reid, Dr. Donal Sexton, Dr. John Ellison and other faculty members helped him address the events of 9/11.
Others shared their experiences from that day. Brandon Bouschart, the Flyboys’ general manager, said he was in second grade at the time. The Rev. Jon Reed, pastor of Tusculum Baptist Church, was at a hospital visiting a woman who was having surgery. He was in the waiting room when her husband shared the news about the World Trade Center. They and others watched the developments on television, and Reed’s mind turned toward a desire to call family and speak to someone who cared.
“I learned something on that day that it is in those moments of tragedy that you really desire a community,” he said. “You desire those people around you to support you and care and to have people that you can support and care about. I am thankful to say that today and to know that you have that at Tusculum, in this area, in this community – people who love you, people who care. All that is important. That shapes who we are. 9/11 certainly shaped a lot of who I am today. It was a reminder, too, of how much we need that relationship with God.”
Dr. Hummel said he was especially pleased the event included the stair climb because that would give participants an understanding of the experience of first responders that day. He urged everyone to recognize, though, that those individuals were not only climbing the stairs but were also carrying all of their gear on their backs.
The ceremony attracted about 200 people, including about 110 who registered to participate in the stair climb. Many of them who joined in that activity were student-athletes and coaches at the university, but community members, including some in firefighting equipment also climbed at a brisk pace as they fanned out across the baseball park.
One of the climbers was Andrew DiMondo, a sophomore in the business administration program pursuing a degree in management. He is also a member of the men’s lacrosse team who has regularly observed the 9/11 anniversary.
“It’s an awesome feeling because I’m from New York,” he said. “My dad worked in the city during that time. It’s one of those things where it’s great to represent him, great to represent people who have fallen and the firefighters that I knew and do know still that were there and made it out alive. I was glad I was coming here to do this. It’s a good feeling to come back and do it again.”
Those who would like to learn more about 9/11 can visit an exhibit of 14 posters that discuss that day in great detail. The free exhibit, developed by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, is available in the Clem Allison Gallery in Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center until Friday, Sept. 18.
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.
