(Photo by Art Smith ) A huge American flag suspended from the Belpre Fire Department’s tower truck hangs over Washington Boulevard Thursday morning to mark the anniversary of the attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001.

PARKERSBURG — Twenty-four years have passed since over 3,000 people were killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

The day marks when thousands were injured or killed from the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a hijacked plane that crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa.

Among those victims was Mary Lou Hague who was a 1992 Parkersburg High School graduate and a 1996 graduate of the University of North Carolina.

At age 26, she was a research analyst for Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc. on the 89th floor of the South Tower.

In honor of her memory and the other victims of that day, Parkersburg High School held a ceremony on the morning of Sept. 11.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) The Parkersburg High School Naval Junior ROTC prepares to raise the flag while the choir sings the National Anthem on Thursday.

“Let us honor the memory of Mary Lou Hague and also all of those who were lost by committing ourselves to creating a more compassionate and peaceful world,” PHS Principal Jason Potts said Thursday morning during a ceremony in front of the school.

Hague graduated at the top of her class of 500 students. She was a class officer, a member of the A Cappella Choir, and was voted the most outstanding high school senior. She was known for being active in the community and involved in many extracurricular activities.

“On Wall Street, she was gaining recognition and was quoted in a banking magazine in the spring of 2001,” said Potts.

Hague’s memorial picture can be found in front of the high school along with the 9/11 Mary Lou Hague Annex beside Stadium Field.

“She was a bright, shining star who touched the hearts of so many in unexplainable ways. She had a zest for life, kindness, and a compassion that endeared her to all that she came in contact with,” Potts said.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) The Parkersburg High School A Capella Choir sings the National Anthem on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 11.

Potts said for the current students at PHS, they grew up in a world shaped by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and it’s part of history for them.

“While you didn’t witness it firsthand, you live with the ripple effect,” said Potts. “It’s a reminder that history is not just a collection of dates and names, it’s a living force that continues to shape our present and our future.”

Later Thursday, Wood County first responders and Parkersburg city officials gathered at Bicentennial Park at the 9/11 memorial.

“I think it’s important that you take time to have an action or a moment of visible reflection,” said Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board. “We’re 24 years removed but I think it’s important it stays in the forefront of our minds.”

Board said they lay the wreaths as a way to remind the community and show younger people that the events of Sept. 11 should never be forgotten.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) The Parkersburg High School Naval Junior ROTC raises the flag as the sun rises on the morning of Sept. 11.

“Essentially, a third of the population has been born since then so they weren’t alive during that time,” said Parkersburg Fire Chief Jason Matthews. “They don’t remember because it wasn’t something that they were a part of.”

Matthews said they are planning a larger ceremonial event next year for the 25th anniversary of the tragic events that occurred Sept. 11, 2001.

The Belpre Volunteer Fire Department used the tower of a fire truck to raise the American flag over Washington Boulevard on Thursday.

“We fly it every year in remembrance of the fire fighters and victims who lost their lives on Sept. 11,” said Belpre VFD Assistant Chief Jeff Rafferty. “We raise it in the morning and take it down in the evening.”

(Photo by Amber Phipps) Parkersburg Fire Chief Jason Matthews rings the fire truck horn before a moment of silence at Parkersburg High School on Thursday, Sept. 11.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) Members of the Parkersburg Police and Fire departments walk through Bicentennial Park with wreaths to present in remembrance of Sept. 11.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) Members of the Parkersburg Police and Fire departments take a moment of silence while they stand beside the 9/11 memorial next to the Municipal Building on Thursday.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) The Parkersburg Police and Fire departments salute the 9/11 memorial in Bicentennial Park on Thursday.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) The 9/11 memorial was constructed in 2021 next to the Municipal Building. Each year since its construction, the fire and police departments lay wreaths on Sept. 11. There is a piece of rubble within the memorial from the South Tower which is where Parkersburg native Mary Lou Hague had worked.