ND, SMC work to identify alumni in tragedies
By JASON McFARLEY
News Editor
A day after terrorist strikes in New York and Washington, neither Notre Dame nor Saint Mary's officials confirmed Wednesday that alumni of either school were killed or injured in the attacks.
The schools are traditionally well-represented in both cities.
Spokespeople at the University and the College said Wednesday that they were unable to compile complete lists of graduates or their families who lived and worked in the cities.
"We want to offer sympathy and support," said Melanie Engler, Saint Mary's director of public relations, "And we also want to know how they're doing."
"The first thing that comes to people's mind when there's a tragedy isn't to let your alma mater know how you're doing," she said.
Engler said the College's alumnae relations and public relations offices worked together Tuesday to draft for media a list of about 100 alumnae who possibly live in the New York or Washington areas.
She said Saint Mary's officials did not know how many alumnae worked in or were connected to the collapsed World Trade Center towers in New York or the Pentagon in Washington.
The Notre Dame Alumni Association Office's most current records list business addresses in the World Trade Center for 98 University graduates and in the Pentagon for 127 alumni.
University records also indicate that 32 parents of current students work in the World Trade Center and 14 in the Pentagon.
"We haven't heard of any deaths yet," said Charles Lennon Jr., associate vice president for University relations. "We're just going on the addresses we have on file. This doesn't take into consideration how many people moved or transferred."
Officials at both schools expect to boost efforts to contact alumni and their families.
Engler said Saint Mary's will send a brief letter to alumnae in New York and Washington to ensure they were unharmed Tuesday.
Notre Dame will today call home and work phone numbers of alumni based in either city, Lennon said.
He said alumni clubs in New York and Washington will soon begin efforts to contact Notre Dame graduates in the cities.
"All of our clubs are standing ready to help if they can," Lennon said.
Alumni club officers in New York and Washington couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.
All News Stories for Thursday, September 13, 2001
