On Friday, April 18, MIT will mark the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings and the subsequent death of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who was killed in active service to our community.
Ceremony of remembrance
A ceremony of remembrance commemorating Collier’s sacrifice will be held at 9:30 a.m. that day in a tent on the North Court.
Speakers will include Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey; Israel Ruiz, MIT’s executive vice president and treasurer; Cambridge Mayor David Maher; John DiFava, director of facilities operations and security; Jay Perault, deputy chief of the MIT Police; Sara E. Ferry, a graduate student in nuclear science and engineering and friend of Collier; and J. Meejin Yoon, an associate professor of architecture. Yoon is designing a permanent memorial to Collier, a rendering of which will be available for viewing after the ceremony and throughout the day on April 18.
The hourlong ceremony will open with the presentation of the flags by a joint honor guard of MIT and Cambridge police officers and the singing of the national anthem by Lt. Pauline Wells of the Cambridge Police Department. Institute Professor John Harbison will perform with student members of the MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and the program will close with a benediction by Robert M. Randolph, chaplain to the Institute.
Seating will be limited at Friday morning’s ceremony of remembrance; a live webcast of the ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m., with on-demand video available after the event.
Community picnic and rally
From 1 to 2:30 p.m., Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart will host a community picnic on the North Court. Members of the MIT community and friends of the Institute are invited to attend and to join in cheering on the MIT Strong marathon team.
This group of students, faculty, staff, and alumni is running this year’s Boston Marathon to raise funds for the Sean A. Collier Memorial Fund. More information about the MIT Strong team is available at http://mitstrong.mit.edu/.
All members of the MIT community and friends of the Institute are invited to the ceremony, picnic, and rally, which will be held rain or shine.
The North Court will be closed to all vehicles on Friday, April 18, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Occupants of buildings in the area are asked to plan accordingly for deliveries and other activity that may be affected.
