Notre Dame defines memories
Joe Larson
Senior Columnist
In my swan song, (final exam here at Notre Dame), I was asked to read an article from a magazine called "The Commonwheel" by a writer named Bob Greene and to discuss how writers like Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman would perceive the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
In this article, a recap of 2001, Greene reminds us that the year 2001 in America will be marked by personal experience, not by the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York or the Pentagon in Washington. Greene asserts that babies were born, family members passed away, career changes happened and that all these are the memories that will most likely stand out to the majority of Americans when they reminisce about the year 2001.
This by no means belittles the loss and pain that our country felt on Sept. 11, no matter if you knew someone or were far removed from anyone who experienced the attacks at all. The point is that each personal experience is different, and there will be a lot of people who will remember 2001 as the year they met their husband or wife or bought their first house or went to their first baseball game. And these are things that will matter the most. Even in the midst of such a horrifying and harrowing disaster as Sept. 11, life continues to progress, similar to, but different from the way it did before. But, the progression ensues and people move forward.
For me, I'll remember 2001 and subsequently the start of 2002 as my senior year at Notre Dame. I'll remember time spent with friends accumulated over four years. I'll remember tailgating in the rain before the West Virginia football game. I'll remember a hodge-podge group of guys who, in no way affiliated with this University, wiped the floor with Bowling Green's men's club hockey team. I'll remember driving 22 hours from South Bend to Sanibel, Fla. and I'll especially remember the 26-hour drive from the southern-most point in the United States back here one week after that.
I'll remember walking downstairs in my apartment on Sept. 11 on my way to class and seeing my roommates huddled around the television watching one of the Twin Towers collapse. I'll remember that same afternoon when my University banded together in prayer and reflection on the day that petrified the most powerful nation in the world. These and 100 other memories will line my mind when I think back on my senior year of college at Notre Dame.
The truth is that for the graduating class of 2002, our last four years have been most succinctly defined by this University. When we think about the things that have happened in the last four years, most likely, those things have occurred in the context of Notre Dame. We've laughed, cried, celebrated and mourned as part of a community. And now, by graduating, we remain a part of the community, but a level removed.
There's a hint of apprehension that accompanies no longer being at the heart of this community. Although it has its problems and its overprotective tendencies, some of those feelings add a hint of security to a world that may not always feel or even turn out to be that way. As graduating seniors, we leave a place that has most definitely nurtured us, and the rude awakening that looms ahead is scary.
In the outside world, there aren't people who will care deeply for your well being. There certainly won't be a community to join together in an attempt to make sense of such an unprecedented turn of events as Sept. 11.
This year was my senior year of college and it will be marked by many things, but the most important mark will be left by the place I've spent the last four years. That place has been the University of Notre Dame, and for that indelible mark I'll be forever grateful. The things I've learned both in the classroom and out have shaped me into a better person than I would have otherwise been able to become.
My goal here is not to sound sappy, but to try to express my gratitude for a place I dreamed about attending, and then was able to attend. For this, I consider myself lucky. I hope that my fellow graduates will acknowledge the mark of this place and also carry its tradition with them wherever they go.
Congratulations, class of 2002, and God love thee, Notre Dame.
Joe Larson is a senior English and history major. He will be pursuing his master of fine arts in fiction writing next year at Bowling Green State University.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Friday, May 17, 2002
