UNH recognizes 20th anniversary by honoring those who were lost

Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Members of the UNH community who passed away on Sept. 11, 2001.

On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, UNH honored the memory of the four alumni who were lost that day.

In observing the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, UNH paused to honor those who were lost, including members of the UNH community: Judd Cavalier ’98, Jennifer Fialko ’94, Robert G. LeBlanc ’59 and Timothy C. Stout ’83.

The T-Hall bells were set to chime at 8:46 a.m. in recognition of the time the first tower was struck by a plane in New York City. At the football game that evening, members of the UNH Army ROTC, UNH Police Department, and Durham and McGregor EMS joined the UNH marching band during the National Anthem and America the Beautiful, as well as for a moment of silence in remembrance of 9/11.

The Durham Fire Department also provided a ladder truck that displayed a large American Flag alongside the field throughout the game.

The events of 9/11 reverberated throughout the UNH campus. Four alumni — one of whom was also a longtime faculty member — died, and many other students, faculty and staff suffered losses close to them, as well.

Cavalier was remembered by Jonathan Sloan ’97, a fellow member of the Sigma Beta fraternity, for the meals he prepared as the house chef, described by Sloan as “some of the finest meals ever to be served to the brethren of Sigma Beta.” Cavalier moved to New York City in 1998 for a position with Sandler O’Neill and Partners. He was working in the firm’s bond-research office on the 104th floor of Two World Trade Center when the plane struck the building on Sept. 11, 2001

Fialko’s mother, Evelyn, says that Fialko used to joke with her family that she was connected to New Hampshire before she was even born, as Evelyn was pregnant with her during the first summer the family spent on Lake Winnipesaukee – the first of what became an annual sojourn leading up to Fialko’s time at UNH. She was working in her office at Aon, an insurance company at Two World Trade Center, on Sept. 11, 2001.

LeBlanc earned his undergraduate degree at UNH and later became a professor of geography in 1963, serving the university until his retirement in 1999. LeBlanc was recalled by fellow professor emeritus of geography William Wallace – who was LeBlanc’s professor first – as “generous to a fault” with a “zest for life and adventure.” LeBlanc was aboard United Airlines flight 175, en route to Los Angeles, on Sept. 11, 2001.

Stout was a proud member of the UNH crew team, and teammate Fred Puksta ’81 warmly recalled his “frozen-mustache smile and his enthusiasm” as “heartwarming and inspirational” during the team’s long, cold runs during the winter. The crew team later purchased a boat named in Stout’s honor from donations given in his memory. Stout was working at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of One World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Producer: 
Keith Testa | UNH Marketing | keith.testa@unh.edu
Jeremy Gasowski | UNH Marketing | jeremy.gasowski@unh.edu | 603-862-4465