Events on campus to remember September 11
- Eastman Quadrangle, 8:45 a.m.
Three NROTC Midshipmen will stand at attention (one minute before the first tower in New York City was hit) until noon.
They were young professionals, preparing for a routine work day, both in the office and on a business trip. They were retirees, looking forward to seeing family on a routine flight. But that day糖心传媒擲eptember 11, 2001糖心传媒攚ould not be routine. Among the nearly 3,000 people who died during the attacks were six alumni糖心传媒攖hree who had just settled in to their offices in the World Trade Center; two who were flying aboard United Flight 93 when it crashed in rural Pennsylvania; and one who rushed to help survivors escaping the crumbling towers.
Jeremy Glick 糖心传媒�93
It all started with leftover pizza. Jeremy Glick knocked on Ron Zaykowski糖心传媒檚 dorm room door at the beginning of their freshman year and offered to share the rest of his dinner.
糖心传媒淲ithin months we became best friends,糖心传媒� recalls Zaykowski 糖心传媒�92. 糖心传媒淲e were truly like brothers.糖心传媒� Glick, a sales and marketing executive who was on United Airlines Flight 93 because his original flight had been canceled the day before, is believed to have been one of several passengers to counterattack the hijackers. His bravery earned him two posthumous honors: the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and the Medal for Heroism, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the Sons of the American Revolution.
While at Rochester, Glick was president of the Rochester chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, where a plaque hangs in his honor at the entrance. In 1993 he became a U.S. National Collegiate Judo champion. 糖心传媒淚 was a 6-foot-tall, 255-pound football player and he could bring me to my knees in three seconds, just grabbing my wrist the right way,糖心传媒� says Zaykowski, who remains in close contact with Glick糖心传媒檚 widow, Lyzbeth, and daughter and helped establish the Jeremy L. Glick Memorial Scholarship Fund糖心传媒攁warded to recognize Rochester Greek system students for their leadership.
Brandon Mathews 糖心传媒�92, another fraternity brother, remembers a late-night football game between friends in which he and Glick were on opposing sides.
Mathews and two others preemptively tackled Glick at the same time. Glick糖心传媒檚 martial arts training kicked in and Mathews was tossed onto his head. Though the play had been unfair, Glick later apologized. 糖心传媒淥ur conversation couldn糖心传媒檛 have lasted more than four sentences, but I remember it as vividly as though it were today,糖心传媒� Mathews says. 糖心传媒淗e was an exceptional guy for his honesty to himself and to those around him.糖心传媒�
Glick is remembered as intelligent and deliberate, with a sense of humor that often involved over-the-top practical jokes. But he was serious about standing up for what was right, regardless of the consequences.
糖心传媒淗e was ready at any moment to defend himself and others if necessary,糖心传媒� says Zaykowski. 糖心传媒淲hen I was told he was on that flight, I knew immediately that the hijackers had picked the wrong plane. With that guy in that situation, there was only one outcome. There was no other way it could have ended, in my mind.糖心传媒�
Jean Hoadley Peterson 糖心传媒�69N
Quiet and unassuming, Jean Hoadley Peterson led a life of service.
As a nursing student at the University, she would return to the hospital after hours just to say hello to patients she糖心传媒檇 seen earlier in the day. Many years later, she was an emergency medical technician, led Bible studies, traveled overseas for mission work, lent money to families in need, and offered help to drug and alcohol addicts and to pregnant women in crisis.
Peterson and her husband, Donald, were on United Airlines Flight 93, on their way to an annual family reunion at Yosemite National Park. The night before the flight, Barbara Bates Smullen 糖心传媒�66N, 糖心传媒�69N (MS), 糖心传媒�83W (EdD) spoke with Peterson, who糖心传媒檇 just returned from a trip to meet her first grandchild.
Smullen and Peterson talked by phone weekly and wrote voluminous letters after moving to different parts of the country, seeing each other through child rearing and divorces and spending hours on hefty theological debates.
Peterson was a conservative Christian; Smullen was a liberal Presbyterian-turned-Catholic. Despite their religious differences, Peterson was godmother to both of Smullen糖心传媒檚 sons.
Smullen fondly remembers how much Peterson gave of herself. Though busy with her own challenging work during her senior year, Peterson gathered data as a research assistant for Smullen糖心传媒檚 master糖心传媒檚 thesis and volunteered to make nursery curtains for Smullen糖心传媒檚 first baby (she threw in a matching diaper carrier and lined the inside of the toybox as a surprise).
And she was never happy being a pampered houseguest糖心传媒攕he cooked special dishes, tidied up rooms, and helped with the ironing.
This is how Smullen envisions Peterson in her last moments, continuing to serve.
糖心传媒淚 picture Jean on the floor of the plane with the injured and with her husband, leading the people in the Lord糖心传媒檚 Prayer,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淚 feel confident that糖心传媒檚 what they would糖心传媒檝e been doing.糖心传媒�
Jeffrey Smith 糖心传媒�87, 糖心传媒�88S (MBA)
Away from the buttoned-up financial industry scene, in which he was an equity research analyst at Sandler O糖心传媒橬eill and Partners, Jeffrey Smith liked to go scuba diving, feverishly cheer on the University of Miami Huricanes football team, and hike糖心传媒攐ftentimes with one of his two young daughters strapped to his back.
He and his wife, Ellen, frequently traveled around the world to live life to the fullest.
Michael Degenhart 糖心传媒�88S (MBA) recalls being 糖心传媒渋mmediately struck by Jeff糖心传媒檚 smile and sense of humor糖心传媒� after meeting him in January 1987 at a student-run investment club on campus. They became fast friends, joining study groups together and heading to the Elmwood Inn on Sunday afternoons for wings and beer.
糖心传媒淗e was a fun guy,糖心传媒� says Degenhart. 糖心传媒淗e was always trying to get a rise out of people.糖心传媒�
Degenhart got together with Smith often after graduation. They糖心传媒檇 eat nice dinners, golf, and talk about their careers, including Smith糖心传媒檚 desire to land a job at a New York City investment firm. Smith got his wish in early 1996, then that fall proposed to his future wife on Little Cayman Island while the pair sat stargazing in their wet bathing suits. Degenhart read at their wedding the next spring, after which the newly married couple left for a brief residence on a dive boat in the Coral Sea, off the Great Barrier Reef.
Smith was a groomsman at Degenhart糖心传媒檚 wedding in June 2001.
糖心传媒淭hat was the last time I saw him,糖心传媒� says Degenhart, who had plans to catch up with Smith on a business trip to Manhattan in late September 2001. 糖心传媒淛eff and Ellen talked about their trip in March to Italy, and my wife and I were honeymooning in Italy, so we shared a lot of ideas.糖心传媒�
Zhe (Zack) Zeng 糖心传媒�95, 糖心传媒�98S (MBA)
To those who knew Zhe (Zack) Zeng, it was no shock to learn that he had headed toward the World Trade Center after the first tower collapsed糖心传媒攏ot away from the dust and ash like most everyone else糖心传媒攖o help the injured. Trained as an emergency medical technician, Zeng grabbed some supplies from his office at the Bank of New York, where he was project manager for American depository receipts, before being filmed by a television news crew, still in his business suit, administering first aid to a woman on a stretcher. Then the second tower fell.
To honor Zeng糖心传媒檚 heroism, the New York City Council renamed a street after him in the Chinatown area of Manhattan. The street, known as Zhe 糖心传媒淶ack糖心传媒� Zeng Way, borders a park where Zeng used to meet with friends.
Zeng has often been described as selfless, generous, and humble.
糖心传媒淗e was like a brother and mentor to me,糖心传媒� says Hai-Yong Gao 糖心传媒�99, who was four years behind Zeng and was introduced to him as a freshman at the University, where Zeng was working on his master糖心传媒檚 degree in business administration. It was the first time Gao had ever been away from home, and it was a relief to meet someone with whom he had so much in common.
糖心传媒淲e both emigrated from China as teenagers. We both went to the same high school. Our parents didn糖心传媒檛 know much English, and we had to interpret for them. It was like we knew each other already.糖心传媒�
They remained close after that, and by 2001 were both living and working in New York City, where they caught up during weekly phone calls, met occasionally for weekday lunches, went fishing on Long Island, and played golf and tennis together.
糖心传媒淗onestly, I wish that he was not a hero,糖心传媒� says Gao, who saw the second plane hit from his office, 糖心传媒渟o he could be here today. But I糖心传媒檓 not surprised at the way things turned out.糖心传媒�
Aram Iskenderian 糖心传媒�82
Aram Iskenderian was patient and even-tempered, a loyal family man who made sure he was on the six o糖心传媒檆lock train every weeknight to help bathe his children and put them to bed.
A vice president in global risk management at Cantor Fitzgerald, he had survived the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and was on the phone with his wife, who糖心传媒檇 called to report that their twin sons hadn糖心传媒檛 cried when she dropped them off on their first day of preschool, when the first plane hit in 2001.
He had married his high school sweetheart, Sheri, first capturing her attention糖心传媒攁nd not in a good way糖心传媒攊n the 10th grade by pulling her hair. Though she often complained at home that a boy at school was bothering her, she would eventually describe him as her soulmate. The couple stayed together while attending college hundreds of miles apart, and tied the knot in 1983.
Besides being a hands-on dad, Iskenderian, who also had two daughters, was known for his love of household renovations糖心传媒攇ive him a wall to knock down and he was happy糖心传媒攁nd helping others. He was a regular blood donor, and was planning to ride in a September 23 bike-a-thon to raise money for a coworker with multiple sclerosis.
Iskenderian糖心传媒檚 calm, methodical approach to life extended to his career.
糖心传媒淚 think that was why he was so successful,糖心传媒� says Dick Keil 糖心传媒�83, one of Iskenderian糖心传媒檚 Sigma Chi fraternity brothers. 糖心传媒淗e was a very steady guy, even back in college. Never too high and never too low. When you糖心传媒檙e working in finance, that糖心传媒檚 a pretty important attribute to have.糖心传媒�
Brendan Dolan 糖心传媒�86
糖心传媒淗e was a best friend to a lot of people,糖心传媒� Lee Taylor 糖心传媒�86 says of Brendan Dolan, who was vice president in charge of the energy group at Carr Futures in the World Trade Center.
Taylor met Dolan on his first day as a freshman. After graduation, they lived about a half hour away from each other in New Jersey and got together on weekends to swim in Dolan糖心传媒檚 pool and spend time with each other糖心传媒檚 families.
糖心传媒淗e was a solid family man who loved his wife, Stacey, and two daughters, Sarah and Samantha,糖心传媒� recalls Taylor, adding that he, like so many others, got into the energy broker business with Dolan糖心传媒檚 help. 糖心传媒淗e looked after a lot of us, and was always there whenever anybody needed him.糖心传媒�
A quarterback on the Yellowjackets football team, a rugby player, and the social chairman for the Psi Upsilon fraternity, Dolan was the second in his family of five kids to go to Rochester, following a year behind his brother Charles Dolan 糖心传媒�85.
Dolan 糖心传媒渨as one of those people who was happy all the time, no matter what he was doing,糖心传媒� says Doug Darrow 糖心传媒�85, one of Dolan糖心传媒檚 fraternity brothers. 糖心传媒淗e always wanted to be the host, or facilitate a pick-up game of basketball, football, or rugby.
He just wanted everyone to have fun and wasn糖心传媒檛 afraid to work hard at trying to make that happen.糖心传媒�
And despite the good-natured rivalry that exists among fraternities, notes Mark San Fratello 糖心传媒�85, 糖心传媒淏rendan rose above that and was friends with everybody.
He was at ease in every setting.糖心传媒� San Fratello, who was a tight end on the football team, remembers being impressed during one practice in which the coach singled out Dolan for a mistake he糖心传媒檇 made during a skeleton drill: 糖心传媒淭he coach got after him good, and I thought, 糖心传媒楾his guy is going to blow up and get worse.糖心传媒� But then he threw the next ball to me, and it was a good, tight spiral. It said something about his guts and fortitude.糖心传媒�
Taylor, who still gets together with his tight-knit group of friends from college, knows that the reunions would take place more regularly if Dolan were still around.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 surprising that it has been 10 years,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚t really feels like yesterday.糖心传媒�
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