As I sit in my office penning this message, it is ten years after the horrendous terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It is just over 150 days since the April 27, 2011 tornadoes that devastated Tuscaloosa and surrounding Alabama communities. It is also 9 months since Jonathan Reid went to his home in Kingston, Jamaica, to become a member of the Jamaican National Track and Field Team.

Sept. 11, 2001 is one of the rare days that should be etched in everyone’s memory. I can vividly recall standing in a large atrium at the University of Central Florida with around 500 students watching the planes attack our heartland. Despite 500 people being in that small space, you could have heard a pin drop, it was so quiet. That sensation alone was unnerving. I am sure each of you can also recall where you were when the mass media, in real time, graphically displayed the tragic events.

On a national scale, the intent of al Qaeda was to damage and hurt the United States. Much as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, “awakened a sleeping giant,” the 9/11 attacks instead resulted in a tremendous increase in patriotism and devotion to preserving the United States. Many young people flocked to join the military and other national services as a direct result of 9/11. Pat Tillman, for instance, gave up a lucrative NFL career to serve in the Armed Forces and was subsequently killed in Afghanistan.

The symbolism of attacking on 9/11 was not lost on the first responders, many of whom perished. 9/11 is closely linked to criminal justice since many of our students will be first responders, and many alumni are first responders, either in law enforcement or fire rescue.

Agencies who investigated the aftermath also relied on many criminal justice majors. Rather than providing a crippling blow to the U.S. ten years later, Osama Bin Laden is dead and al Qaeda is seriously weakened. More importantly, the patriotism ignited by 9/11 persists to this day.

On a regional scale, the tornadoes that ravaged the southeastern United States and Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011 also ignited a strong sense of community pride and volunteer action. Again, many criminal justice and sociology students and alumni were central players in the rescue and recovery efforts, as well as in the rebuilding of Tuscaloosa.

We also had faculty and students who had homes destroyed and lives shattered. However, like 9/11, this tragedy also brought out the best in people.

People from around the nation sent donations to Tuscaloosa; even rival football teams such as Kent State and Auburn sent student athletes to help in the immediate aftermath. Donations overwhelmed Tuscaloosa. Students and faculty donated time, housing, services and resources to assist victims.

As devastating as the tornadoes were, they, like 9/11, served to remind us all of how fleeting life and stability can be and how much we must treasure our loved ones, homes and communities. It also brought out the best in University of Alabama students, faculty and staff.

Unprecedented accommodations were made by the University of Alabama to assist affected students in every way possible. Many moving memorial events were held, and the Aug. 6 graduation ceremony was the most emotional graduation exercise I have ever experienced. That joyous graduation ceremony also had a somber side; five of the six families received posthumous diplomas on behalf of their lost children. It was again unnerving to see how many of our proud graduates were reduced to tears on this day celebrating the culmination of their college experience.

Jonathan Reid is a sophomore student athlete the University of Alabama. He specializes in the triple and high jumper for the Track and Field team. Despite his youth, he has already cleared 7 feet in the high jump and ranks among the elite field athletes in the nation. Jonathan found his way to my office last semester and asked to borrow one of my criminological theory texts. That led to a conversation about why he would want to read such a relatively dry book.

He then explained his reason and became a symbol, to me, about why students attend the University of Alabama. Jonathan also epitomizes what we want all our student athletes to be. Resources do not permit many visits home to Kingston, Jamaica, so Jonathan was excited to return to his home during summer of 2011.

On a personal level, Jonathan experienced unexpected tragedy on his highly anticipated return trip home. His first day home, his favorite uncle was shot and killed. One week later, one of his young student mentors was also shot and killed near his home. Mourning and contemplation was how Jonathan spent his summer break. Just as the nation as a whole responded to 9/11, and as the Crimson Tide nation (and our friends at Auburn) responded to the tornadoes in many positive ways, upon his return to Alabama, Jonathan devoted himself to the study of crime causation.

Jonathan is currently researching and writing a theoretical paper on the problems and solutions facing Jamaica with regards to the preponderance of violent street crime. That quest is what brought him to my office and attention. It is also why the Capstone is such a great university. More than anything else, it is the hope, ambitions and abilities of our students that make Alabama great.

While everyone is aware of the 9/11 attacks and the tornadoes of April 27, very few people are aware of Jonathan’s personal tragedy.

These three events show that tragedy can strike anyone at any moment. None are immune. How we, as a nation, community and individuals react to tragic events serves to define us.

All three events described above brought out the best in those affected. All three also showed how criminal justice and sociology (the study of how large events shape societies and individuals) are increasingly relevant.

As we move forward, the focus is on the positive effects that each of these tragedies, at a national, local and personal level, led to.

Mark M. Lanier, Ph.D. is the chair of the University of Alabama Department of Criminal Justice.