Jenna Lotsis ’17: Former FBI agent and Head Operator of the 9/11 investigations at FBI headquarters in 2001, Thomas B. Locke, delivered a heartfelt chapel speech for this year’s annual September 11th chapel service. Throughout the speech, Locke depicted his experiences of working so closely on the 9/11 investigation and asked thought provoking questions. He focused on the more positive side of 9/11 including the tremendous acts of heroism. Tom Locke also presented to the school a very special gift: a flag that flew on the USS Cole, a missile destroyer named in honor of Marine Sergent Darell S. Cole and Ground Zero.
Photo Courtesy of Michael Leslie
When asked to describe his interactions with Locke, James R. Squire, Upper School Chaplain, explained, “When I first talked with Thomas Locke about speaking in chapel on 9/11, I was struck by the high level of respect that he showed me. This continued to be the case in subsequent phone conversations.” Squire continued, “When he had a conference call with the vestry, I was struck again by his respect for the students, taking very seriously their feedback to him as they provided guidance and highlighted the ingredients for a great chapel talk.”
Senior vestry member Christy Palazzese ‘15 expressed, “It was so cool having someone with that type of experience and insight from the FBI speak to us and the flag was such a generous gift. We had no idea that he was going to be presenting the flag to us, but it was an awesome surprise!”