A memorial that commemorates the lives lost in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 has been established on the Alumni Center grounds. The memorial is located near the intersection of St. Mary Blvd. and Girard Park Dr., which is considered a gateway to campus.
Nearly eight years ago, terrorists hijacked three jetliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania. Robert Hymel, a 1969 USL graduate and decorated Vietnam War veteran, was killed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Hymel was working as a civilian in the Pentagon.
The late Lester J. Guidry, commander of Stanley Martin-Felix Ducrest American Legion Post 69 at the time, obtained a limestone shard from the Pentagon wreckage. He donated it to UL Lafayette to honor Hymel and others killed that day in the terrorist assault. The late Dr. Robert Fontenot, also of American Legion Post 69, pursued the project after Guidry’s death.
The memorial was funded through grants from the Louisiana Governor’s 2004 Recreational Trails Program. “The grants provided an opportunity for us to enhance the area,” said Dan Hare, executive director of the UL Lafayette Alumni Association.
Near the memorial, the area also includes a brick gazebo and a natural pond.
A walkway of brick pavers was laid that enables pedestrians to stroll in shade around the area. Lighting was also installed in the gazebo and in the pond to illuminate the area at night.