Venn: Notre Dame, Architecture, Manhattan, and 9/11

Who stands at the center of a Venn diagram including the University of Notre Dame, the profession of architecture, a student newspaper called The Observer, the humor of a cartoonist, sketchbooks of a globe-trotter, Manhattan, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, CodeX, and 9/11? 

I know of only one man who fills the bill: architect, cartoonist, and lecturer Michael Molinelli.

 

"As you know, Michael Molinelli is a talented artist who worked for Notre Dame's OBSERVER daily student newspaper and received his degree in Architecture. He was the creator of probably the most beloved comic strip on campus, a daily must view for all of us Domers when the paper came out just before lunch. The strip was called "Molarity" (morality with the "l" and the "r" switched). He presents an interesting perspective about the Twin Towers from an architect's point of view. CAUTION: while one particular scene has been seen millions of times since that tragic day in 2001, it is still shocking and disturbing." --Eduardo Magallenez, ND '83

 

This 15th edition of Michael's CodeX project describes the design and construction of the Twin Towers and the force that brought them down on 9/11.

Before reading Eddielalo's post, I was not familiar with Michael's CodeX Series. After watching this one, I was inspired to watch more and wound up subscribing to his channel. The videos (currently about 24) are fantastic explorations of interesting and influential architects and the buildings they have given us. You need not be an architect to love these videos. 

Michael Molinelli, AIA, NCARB, LEED Accredited Professional holds a 1982 Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame. Michael was best known to his fellow Domers as the creator of Molarity, a comic featuring the antics and exploits of fictional student Jim Mole and his friends. 

Since graduating from Notre Dame, Michael has built a successful architecture practice. He is an award-winning licensed architect, an award-winning cartoonist, humorist, lecturer, author, inventor, volunteer firefighter, husband, and father.

Visit Michael's websites:
His architecture practice 
The official website of Molinelli's cartoon strips including Molarity and Molarity Redux.
A site about the book he co-authored with his wife, Gina 
The YouTube channel for his ongoing CodeX series 

These websites about Michael are also worth a look:
His Amazon author biography featuring a nice pic with an ND hat

The Wikipedia entry describing his Molarity comic strip

9/11

How do you tell a 13-year old about 9/11?

Where were you the moment you realized the world was forever changed? 

Where were you on 9/11?

E Ring of the Pentagon, between Corridors 4 and 5

Me? I was in the Pentagon, on the 3d floor, E (outer) ring, between corridors 4 and 5.  Lieutenant General (LTG) Timothy J. Maude was the Army G1, and I was his representative to an Army Transformation Campaign Plan meeting being held in the G3's conference room. At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into LTG Maude's office on the 2d floor, E ring, between corridors 4 and 5. A floor slab is all that separated me from the inferno below. The conference room in which I had been seated and from which I safely escaped later collapsed into the fire.

LTG Maude was only 53 years old when his life
was cut short by a terrorist attack on the Pentagon 

A friend of mine answered the "where were you?" question this way, "Getting ready to teach US History in Long Beach, Ca ...trying to figure out how to explain this to 13-year olds."

That really got me thinking! How would my friend--or any of us--explain 9/11 to 13-year olds in 2001? Even more interesting--how would our explanation change over time? Would the lessons of 9/11 remain the same for 13-year olds year-after-year? Of course not. The intervening events of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the execution of Osama bin Laden, the Coalition's recent redeployment from Iraq, and the subsequent and rapid rise of ISIS would all be part of the story--part of the post-9/11 world.

Memorial benches point toward the Pentagon if the person was on the plane and
away from the Pentagon if the person was in the Pentagon at the time of the attack

What do you say about 9/11 to a child who has grown up in the post-9/11 world? My own children were 7 and 4 on the day I came home early from work because my office disintegrated. They were 13 and 10 at the time I deployed to Baghdad to join MNC-I. My children were directly impacted by 9/11 and have grown up in a post-9/11 world. What would you say to a 13-year old US History student on Sept 11, 2014?

184 memorial benches, one for each victim, are aligned with the
flight path of the jetliner that slammed into the Pentagon on 9/11

I would say this: History is a jagged line over time. The point of studying history is to remember past peaks and valleys, reflect on the significance of them, and renew our values and sense of purpose so we can keep absorbing life's plot twists, return to the center line and continue driving on.

The nameplate on LTG Maude's memorial bench
is viewed with the Pentagon in the background.

The USA today is far from an idyllic Garden of Eden. In fact, the impressive achievements of mankind are matched in magnitude by our horrifying failures. Looking across time at the arc of history, I would say that things have gotten both better and worse since the earliest days of civilization. The peaks are higher and the valleys are lower. We live in times of increasing amplitude. Resilience is more critical to survival than ever. I would look at the arc of history and tell young students that they must stay strong--getting back up when knocked down, and continuing to struggle against the forces that push and pull.

LTG Maude was born in 1947. This marker designates
the row in which his memorial bench can be found

The post-9/11 world today looks quite different from the world I saw as a 13-year old 40 years ago. By the time my kids reach my current age, they will likely have witnessed even greater heights and even lower lows. Because history is a jagged line over time....and at the extremes, the amplitude is increasing...

This five-sided memorial in Arlington National Cemetery contains the
names of all 184 people who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack at the Pentagon

God Bless educators for helping prepare our young people for survival, stability, success, and hopefully even significance in an uncertain and sometimes frightening world. May we all draw upon the lessons of 9/11 to learn how to find balance, restore calm, and share peace.

9/11 at 11: the lost United States of 10 September 2001

The 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero in New York. Photograph: Justin Lane/AP

In this poignant article, author Morris Davis, writing for the Guardian, remembers when the land of the free and the home of the brave was a little more of both.  

Do you remember Monday, September 10th, 2001? The market was strong, unemployment was low, and the budget was not only balanced, but we had a sizable surplus. At that time, we did not see a military threat on the near horizon. Honorable Ric Shinseki, now Secretary of Veterans Affairs, was then Army Chief of Staff. We were trying to figure out how to spend some of the surplus to dramatically transform the Army into a leaner, more lethal, more responsive force within the time available.

All that changed in a New York minute. 

I will be spending a portion of my 9/11 remembrance day with friends and family members of the fallen in the Pentagon, at the memorial near the point of the plane's impact. The place where 29 of my Army Staff co-workers had their lives snatched from them is holy ground for many of us who were there in the Pentagon that Tuesday morning eleven years ago.

The passage of time does little to blunt the pain of our losses, but it does afford us the opportunity to examine our motives and our perspectives in a new light. The 11th anniversary of 9/11 is a fitting moment for an audit of American values. 

Morris argues persuasively that perceptions of what is right and wrong changed when "fear took hold in the Home of the Brave."  Fighting for justice and freedom is one thing. Fighting for revenge, or political leverage, or financial gain is another thing entirely.   

Given the 'war on terror' and all its attendant costs in time, talent, and treasure, Morris asks, are we better as a Nation than we were 11 years ago? 

There is nothing we can do to bring any of our fallen back. They are gone. There is nothing we can do to roll back the hands of time, either. However, we can all look at history with the benefit if hindsight, and think about what it means to be brave in the face of uncertainty and brutality.

A solemn article for a solemn day, and worth a read.

12 Most Memorable Moments From the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

My thoughts are inspired by a post on a site called "12 Most." Posts from multiple authors cover a wide variety of topics. The 12 Most Memorable Moments From the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 caught my eye.

What were YOUR most memorable moments? I'll lead off with my own top 12, in chronological order. Add yours in the comments, please!

1. Prayer Service in the Pentagon Auditorium sponsored by the Chaplains. 
2. DoD Memorial Service in Pentagon Center Court. The SecDef, Leon Panetta, got a little verklempt as he described the proudest day of his 40-year career, whacking ObL. He accepted a 9/11 flag from the 9/11 memorial commission.
3. 10th Annual ASA (M&RA) / DCS, G-1 Commemoration Ceremony at the E-Ring end of Pentagon's 4th Corridor.
4. Visiting the 9/11 Memorial Chapel, built as part of Project Phoenix.
5. Visiting the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, especially LTG Maude's bench 
6. Visiting LTG Maude's grave and the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery
7. Watching a 9/11 TV special with neighbors and sharing personal stories
8. Reading my hometown paper's account of my 9/11 experience
9. Participating in the Arlington Police, Fire & Sheriff 9-11 Memorial 5K
10. A special moment of remembrance with my daughter at Lake Thoreau featuring red, white, and blue candles and 29 rose petals, one for each of the people from my office who died 
11. Participating in the Unity Walk, during which: I heard a Muslim call to prayer in a Hebrew Synagogue; I saw a turban-tying demonstrating in a Sikh Temple; I heard a Christian choir sing Amazing Grace at a Muslim Mosque; I got a photo of Karen Armstrong; I chanted with the Hare Krishnas at the Khalil Gibran Memorial Park; and I walked with Gandhi's grandson to the Mahatma Gandhi memorial.  
12. Pausing at 6:46 pm to participate in ONE: The Event's global prayer for peace. Did you feel the love?

I am grateful and humbled to be alive. 9/11 plus 10 years and we are finally moving from fear toward love. It takes both compassion and vigilance to ensure peace and security for the next generations. I feel a sense of balance returning.

Remembering those who lost their lives,
those who gave their lives, and
those who risked their lives
for our freedoms
9/11 +10