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REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS OF 9/11
To commemorate the significance of the events of September 11, 2001, French
Heritage Society, in collaboration with the French Senate, organized what was the
most important ceremony in France. Madame Chirac, with the President of the
French Senate and the official representative of the U.S. Ambassador, presided
over a planting of the U.S. national oak tree, which they sprinkled with ashes
from the three sites which were hit on 9/11 , in the Luxembourg gardens, close
to a replica of the Statue of Liberty. New York City Firefighters and Police officers,
along with families of the victims, attended the ceremony, with the entire American
community in Paris and many French dignitaries, standing together in a gesture
of solidarity. In 2006, a second ceremony was organized to commemorate the
fifth anniversary of 9/11.
LOUISIANA PURCHASE
In 2003, a Symposium was held in New Orleans to commemorate the bicentennial of
the Louisiana Purchase, a key event in the histories of both the United States and France. By
the purchase of this vast expanse of land, comprising what is now 13 states, the young nation
doubled its territory. A message of appreciation and friendship from the President of the French
Republic, Monsieur Jacques Chirac, was delivered by French Heritage Society President Marie-Sol
de La Tour d'Auvergne.
THE AMERICAN GROVE
Following devastating wind storms that destroyed 10,000 trees in the park of the
Château de Versailles in 1999, French Heritage Society undertook a campaign to
create a grove of American trees near the Petit Hameau of Marie-Antoinette as a
symbol of American concern and sympathy. FHS brought together officials of the
various state forest departments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, custom
officials, and the gardeners of the château, who worked together to organize this
meaningful tribute to French-American friendship. The grove was dedicated in a
ceremony attended by the American Ambassador to France, Howard L. Leach,
on October 22, 2001
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