Remembering 9/11 Through Service, Courage and Character

Each year on Patriots’ Day, the Boys’ Latin community pauses to remember the lives changed and lost on September 11, 2001, and to reflect on the meaning of service. This year, we welcomed alumni Captain Tim Howell ’03 and Brad Gilroy ’95 back to Lake Avenue to share their personal experiences of 9/11 and the profound impact it had on the paths they would take.

For Tim, the return to campus was also a family homecoming. The son of former Boys’ Latin French teacher Madame Terry Howell, a trailblazer in her own right, Tim grew up with a strong connection to the School and its community. Following his time at Boys’ Latin, he went on to serve for 20 years with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, rising through the ranks to his current role as Commander of the Port of Baltimore Detachment.

Brad is also part of the continuing Boys’ Latin story as a second-generation Laker and proud father of Blake ’29. After graduating from Boys’ Latin, Brad attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was a four-year starter on the lacrosse team. He went on to serve as an F/A-18 pilot in the United States Navy, completing multiple deployments in the years following 9/11 and flying combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom over Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also a graduate of, and former instructor at, the Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN.

Both alumni spoke with our boys about where they were on September 11, 2001, how that day changed their lives and the ways their experiences shaped their commitment to serving others.

Headmaster Chris Post also shared where he was on 9/11, adding his own perspective to the day of remembrance.

Throughout the assembly, one message came through clearly: courage and service are not reserved for extraordinary moments. They can be found in the choices we make every day.

At Boys’ Latin, we ask our boys to live by the core values of courage, compassion and integrity. On Patriots Day, we were reminded that even the smallest act of courage or kindness can have an impact. If each of us does one thing each day to serve, support or lift up someone else, our collective impact will be felt.

We are grateful to Tim and Brad for returning home to Lake Avenue and reminding our boys that service is not simply something we honor — it is something we can all choose to live