Community leaders, students, educators and local officials gathered Friday morning at the Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa to remember the lives lost and honor the heroes of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The 25th anniversary remembrance was hosted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County and brought together representatives from across Manatee and Sarasota counties for a morning focused on remembrance, service and community.
The ceremony included music by the Palmetto High School Band, an invocation by Henry Detwiler and a presentation of the colors by the Manatee High School JROTC. Students from Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School performed the national anthem and provided a musical selection during the program.
Local and state leaders participating in the ceremony included Florida Sen. Jim Boyd; Dawn Stanhope, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County; Palmetto Mayor Dan West; Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown; Manatee County Commissioner Amanda Ballard; County Commission Chairman Tal Siddique; and Manatee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Laurie Breslin.
Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Terry Conners and New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran also participated.
A special portion of the ceremony recognized Kay Daniels, who was teaching a second-grade class in Sarasota on September 11, 2001, when President George W. Bush visited the school. It was during that classroom visit that Bush was informed that the United States was under attack. Daniels addressed those gathered at Friday’s remembrance.
The event marked a quarter-century since the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, at the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
Friday’s gathering provided an opportunity for a new generation of students — many born years after the attacks — to join community leaders in remembering those who died and recognizing the first responders, military members and others whose lives and service were forever shaped by September 11.
The ceremony concluded with a moment of silence, bagpipes and a color guard tribute honoring the lives lost 25 years ago.