An MIT Alumni Association Publication

MIT Honors Officer Sean Collier with Memorial

  • Jay London
  • slice.mit.edu
  • 1

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Collier_5Exactly six months to the day that MIT Police Officer Sean Collier HM was shot and killed in the line of duty, MIT Police and the Department of Facilities unveiled a memorial dedicated to the fallen officer.

On Oct. 18, 2013, carved limestone—made from a piece of the Great Dome—bearing an MIT police badge and Collier’s badge number, 179, was unveiled at the corner Main St. and Vassar St., near the location where authorities say Collier was attacked by the alleged Boston Marathon bombing suspects.

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The MIT community took part in two memorial ceremonies on Oct. 18. The first, which took place at 7:30 a.m., featured more than 50 MIT police officers and tributes from Harvard University and the Cambridge Police Department. The second, a candlelight vigil, took place around 10:00 p.m., near the time of Collier’s death.

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Collier was posthumously inducted as an honorary member of the MIT Alumni Association at Technology Day on June 8, 2013. According to MIT News, the plaque—which has been decorated with flags, flowers, and other honors—is a temporary memorial. A permanent monument will be unveiled at a later date.

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“I don’t know how much healing we’ve done, and I think these little steps along the way help us find that direction,” John DiFava, MIT Chief of Police and Director of Facilities Operations and Security, told MIT News. “The highest tribute we can pay Sean Collier is to never forget him. We can’t bring him back, but we can never forget him, and I think we owe him that.”

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Photos by Joe McGonegal

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Comments

Alan Ault

Wed, 10/23/2013 9:02pm

Excellent memorial and good pictures. Thanks MIT for seeing this through.