The Reverend Canon Michael Harmuth, who served as Lower School Chaplain until his retirement in 2015, spoke to the Middle and Upper School students today during chapel about his experience with 9/11.

During 2001, Father Harmuth was serving as a chaplain for the Dallas division of the FBI and was sent to Ground Zero in New York City for about a week after the attacks on September 11. There he served in the morgue and spoke with rescue and recovery workers. 

One of the things that struck him most was the moment it hit home that the 3,000 were not just numbers and statistics, but people with lives and families and futures that were taken away from them. To demonstrate this epiphany, he showed the students a full newspaper spread from that time that was made up entirely of photos of each victim.

Father Harmuth was instrumental in the design of the stained glass window panel displayed in All Saints Chapel in remembrance of the events of 9/11. It shows the symbols of the three monolithic religions- Christianity, Judaism, and Islam- as well as two vertical lights to represent the Twin Towers, a woman holding an American flag, and a teddy bear laid upon a memorial. This window became the first permanent memorial of September 11 in Dallas.

Father Harmuth’s talk with the students was meaningful and impacting. Even though his visit revolved around this tragic event in America's history, the students were glad to have him back on campus.