BHS graduate designs memorial
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Lyndora native designed the Sept. 11 memorial for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and its seven members who died in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
Jacob Robison, who lives on Capitol Hill here, came up with the idea that the memorial should symbolize an unfurled American flag.
He works for Classic Glass, a decorative and architectural glass studio in Alexandria, Va., which was asked by the federal agency to design the memorial.
It was to be unveiled at a ceremony today at Bolling Air Force Base that will be attended by the victims' families, employees of the Pentagon and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Robison was to speak at the ceremony explaining the symbolism of the memorial.
Robison, son of John and Robin Robison of Lyndora, graduated from Butler High School in 2001. He received a degree in graphic design from Butler County Community College in 2005.
He moved to Virginia shortly after attending BC3, and got a job working in a print shop. However, he always was more interested in the artistic side of graphic design. About two years ago, he joined Classic Glass.
The company was asked by Defense Intelligence Agency in August 2008 to design a memorial, and that's when Robison got involved with the project.
Although a memorial already exists honoring those who died at the Pentagon, Robison said the Defense Intelligence Agency wanted its own memorial to honor those in its agency who died in the attack.
"What's more patriotic than the American flag?" asked Robison in explaining how he came up with the design. "I wanted to create something that was abstract, not too literal. The frames are able to move like a flag in the wind."
The American flag symbolizes national unity, resilience and strength and was the driving force behind the memorial's look and feel. It has eight stainless steel frames that hold glass panels.
Seven of those glass frames can rotate 360 degrees. Each of the rotating panels represents the life of one of the seven people honored in the memorial and is symbolic of lives that are constantly evolving and changing.
An eighth frame remains stationary and displays an excerpt of an essay titled "During a Time of Trouble" by James Henry Leigh Hunt that reads: "Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves, after the first suffering, how we can turn it into good. So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise perhaps many flowers."
The design process began in September 2008 and fabrication of the memorial began in June.
Within the stainless steel frames are carved dichroic glass panels.
The main characteristic of dichroic glass is its ability to transmit and reflect light, producing a variation of color, opacity and reflective qualities, Robison said. He said he chose dichroic glass to serve as another symbol of change and reflection.
When someone looks at the memorial, he said, the Pentagon can be seen behind it across the Potomac River. At the base of the memorial is a polished piece of limestone taken from the Pentagon debris.
The names of the seven Defense Intelligence Agency victims are carved into the stone. The title of the memorial is "United in Memory — Committed to Freedom."
