George Howard, a police officer in the Port Authority's emergency services unit, was enjoying a day off when he heard about trouble at the World Trade Center and raced to work amidst the chaos — the same as he did in 1993, when the trade center was bombed. In his spare time, Howard volunteered for the local fire department and trained other police and fire departments in safety and rescue work. He loved coaching his two children in lacrosse.
John Iskyan was competitive and loyal, playing high school lacrosse at Manhasset (N.Y.) and becoming an avid skier and hiker at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vt. He was a youth lacrosse coach and administrator in Wilton, Conn. He joined Cantor Fitzgerald out of college and worked his way up to partner. After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Iskyan disliked the building. But he would not leave the firm.
Ronnie Kloepfer, who played for Sewanaka (N.Y.) High School and Adelphi University, was a sniper police officer with the elite NYPD Emergency Services Unit. Within the tight fraternity of the New York City Police Department is an even tighter fraternity: the men who wear the blue jerseys of the department's lacrosse team, which Kloepfer founded. He coached and played for the team. The annual charity game against the FDNY was played after Kloepfer’s death in his honor.
Gary Koecheler, of Harrison, N.Y., was the father of Paul Koecheler, who played lacrosse at Fordham Prep (N.Y.) and Nassau Community College, and John Koecheler, who played lacrosse at Fordham Prep. Koecheler was awarded the Bronze Star in Vietnam, but few of his friends or acquaintances knew about it until his memorial service. He was not the kind of man to brag. He never even told his children what he had done to receive the medal. They still do not know.
Ryan Kohart, a defenseman for Garden City (N.Y.) High School and the University of North Carolina, was elected by his teammates to captain the Tar Heels his senior year. The team was in turmoil and in need of his positivity, his thoughtful and caring nature, his leadership skills. Kohart worked for Cantor Fitzgerald and had recently gotten engaged. The Ryan Kohart Memorial Scholarship provides funds to a lacrosse player at the University of North Carolina.
Stephen Lamantia was a player at East Meadow (N.Y.) High School and Roanoke College. A big personality with a big laugh, he was the president of his fraternity in college and the self-proclaimed captain of his cul-de-sac where he lived with his wife and two young children. He was one of the few men whom the mothers on the cul-de-sac trusted to watch over the children as they moved from yard to yard.
David Laychak, 40, was one of the 184 people who died Sept. 11, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. A former football player at Brown University, David became a youth coach for every sport his son Zachary played — lacrosse, basketball and baseball. Zachary is continuing the legacy of his father. He is heavily involved with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, an organization for military families of the fallen, as well as Tuesday’s Children, an organization that provides support for children of 9/11 and others impacted by global terrorism.
David Leistman's memorial mass on Long Island drew scores of lacrosse players. Many were in their early 40s. They had played with Leistman, an All-American midfielder at Adelphi University and previously Sewanhaka (N.Y.) High School. Many others were teenagers or younger, players whom he had coached in Garden City, N.Y. More than skills, Leistman taught love of the game and the values of competition, team work and sportsmanship. Winning was not the only thing.
Edward Maloney III — known to all as Teddy — was born in Berlin, Germany, but was raised in Andover, CT. While attending Proctor Academy, Teddy played varsity lacrosse and hockey. He continued playing lacrosse at New England College and hockey for the Rye Rangers of Rye, N.Y. In November 2002, Proctor dedicated the Maloney Memorial Ice Rink to his memory. Teddy left behind a wife and daughter; his second daughter was born three months after his death on Sept. 11, 2001.
George Morrell, 47, of Mt. Kisco, N.Y, a father of players from Bedford/Greenwich, CT, was a partner and vice president of mortgage department with Cantor Fitzgerald.
Eamon McEneaney, known as Cornell's “Wild Irish Rose,” was a lacrosse legend and an American hero who led 63 people to safety during the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. A star lacrosse player at Sewanhaka (N.Y.) High School, Cornell University and for the LI Hofstra and North Hempstead lacrosse clubs, McEneaney is a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, a loving husband, the father of four children and was a senior vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald when the planes struck the World Trade Center's north tower.
Stacey Sennas McGowan of Basking Ridge, N.Y., was a lacrosse player at Nyack High School and Boston College and the mother of two young daughters. "Hers was a hug that would essentially render every other hug you'll ever receive in your life a complete insult to hugging," said her friend, Patrick Corry, in a eulogy. The spirit of “Staciness” endures in the Nyack lacrosse community in the form of the annual Stacey Sennas McGowan Memorial Games.
Frank McGuinn was the father of a women's lacrosse player and a youth coach from Greenwich, Conn. Though slightly too young to be drafted into the Vietnam War, he badly wanted to volunteer. His parents talked him out of it, yet he regretted not having served. If he were alive at the time of the 9/11 attacks, his wife is confident he would have gone to Afghanistan to serve in the war against terrorism.
Rob McLaughlin, a defensive midfielder at Lehigh University in the early 1990s, died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The man they called “Eagle McLaughlin” had endless heart and hustle. He was the vice president of emerging markets at Cantor Fitzgerald and left behind a young son.
William Minardi was the father of lacrosse players from New Bedford, N.Y. He lived 48 hours in a day, never wanting to miss anything. His favorite team was University of Louisville basketball, coached by his best friend and brother-in-law Rick Pitino.
Jim Munhall was the husband of Susan, a former player at Montclair (N.J.) High School and current women's lacrosse official from Ridgewood, N.J., and devoted father to their daughter. Munhall would spend every Saturday, renamed "Dad-urday," with her getting bagels, teaching her to read sports stats in the newspaper and riding bikes.
Robert Noonan was a lacrosse player for Greenwich (Conn.) High School and Portland LC who lived in Rowayton, Conn., with his wife and son. He was a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald and perished on Sept. 11, 2001.
Brian Novotny was a Le Moyne lacrosse alum and a bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald. He always got to work early and often stayed late. Although his life was cut short at 33, his spirit lives on.
Rick O'Connor played high school lacrosse in Watertown, N.Y., and at Clarkson University. A descendant of dirt farmers in upstate New York, he was fiercely proud that he went from dirt to sky when he became a senior vice president for Marsh & McLennan on the 100th floor of the World Trade Center.
Sean O'Neill, 34, was an equities trader at Cantor Fitzgerald and expecting his first child in October 2001. He played lacrosse at Rye (N.Y.) High School.
Peter O’Neill Jr. graduated from Holy Trinity (N.Y.) High School and played lacrosse at Bentley College. He lived in Amityville, N.Y., and was 21 years old when he died. O’Neill worked for Sandler O’Neill & Partners and was a volunteer firefighter in Amityville. He intended to become an emergency medical technician.
Peter Ortale, a bond broker at Euro Brokers, was often playing lacrosse when not working or sending thoughtful presents for no reason. Ortale was one of the best players on his high school team in Philadelphia and at Duke University. After he graduated, he played in Australia. Once he began his career, he continued to play for the New York Athletic Club and in various leagues on weekends.
Thomas Anthony Palazzo, who lived in Armonk, N.Y., coached youth lacrosse and golfed, skied and snowboarded. An avid boater, water-skier and fisherman, he whisked his wife, Lisa, and three daughters off to Nantucket every summer.
Durrell “Bronko” Pearsall, 34, was a member of the New York Fire Department’s Rescue 4 in Queens. He always dreamed of becoming a fireman. At 6-2, 285 pounds, Pearsall could bench press 455 pounds with ease. He played for LIU’s lacrosse team.
Chris Quackenbush was a youth lacrosse coach in Manhasset, N.Y. He combined high values with the ability to inspire others to act for the good, was a wise businessman and a counselor who thrived on sharing his wealth. He created the Jacob Marley Foundation, which provides scholarships and programs for poor children on Long Island.
Donald Robertson, a lacrosse player at Columbia (N.J.) High School, Lynchburg and Montclair State, eventually coached youth lacrosse in Maplewood, N.J., for his four children. Although Robertson had a shamrock tattoo, he never made it to Ireland. His mother took his ashes from Ground Zero to an ancient burial ground in Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland. Robertson was 35.
Ronald J. Ruben did not mind getting his hands dirty. A former lacrosse player at Montclair High School in New Jersey, when Ruben was not trading equities on Wall Street, he was fixing old cars or building toy boxes, tables and chairs. He was a people person and children loved him. As a memorial, family and friends had a Habitat for Humanity house built in Ruben’s name.
Jonathan S. Ryan was a lacrosse player at Herrick (N.Y.) High School and Stony Brook University. Ryan, 32, worked at Euro Brokers and lived in Bayville on Long Island. He was looking forward to the birth of his second child — and first son — on Oct. 2, 2001.
John "Pepe" Salerno Jr. played lacrosse at St. John's and for North Hempstead Lacrosse Club. Pepe, a childhood nickname inspired by his superabundance of pep, was loyal, funny and generous. Salerno knew what he wanted. He wanted a family and was expecting his first child in March 2002. He was a broker at Cantor Fitzgerald.
Michael San Phillip was a lacrosse player at the University of Pennsylvania. Though he had catapulted himself to vice president at Sandler O'Neill & Partners, an investment house on the 104th floor at 2 World Trade Center, the title he craved was that of grandfather. He was expecting his first grandchild in December 2001.
John Schroeder was a lacrosse player at Princeton, Duke and TOBAY Lacrosse. Everyone at Princeton knew him as “Stinky.” The nickname was applied when he visited the campus as a high school lacrosse recruit. It stuck as John played lacrosse for clubs while he worked on Wall Street; he joined Fred Alger Management as an equity trader in July 2001.
Michael Simon was a lacrosse player at Rye (N.Y.) Country Day and Hobart College. A sportsman whose passions rubbed off on his three children, he set aside time to coach the soccer teams of all three children and a fourth squad. Though lacrosse and hockey had been Simon’s activities in college, golf and tennis were his weekend-warrior pursuits after graduating to Wall Street. His dream was to start a lacrosse league in Harrington Park, N.J., where he and his wife lived. He had not yet made it come true, but he was only 40; he imagined he would get around to it.
Peter Siracuse was a leading scorer for the Bethpage (N.Y.) High School football team in the late 1980s and a lacrosse midfielder who won 15 of 17 faceoffs in a single game. Long Island coaches voted him to the All-Nassau-County team in 1990. After college, he worked as a high school history teacher and lacrosse coach before becoming a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald.
Paul Skrzypek of Little Falls, N.J., was a lacrosse player at Montville High School, Kutztown State and for Shearson LC. Skrzypek was constantly in motion: he ran with the bulls in Pamplona, he completed the Chicago Triathlon and the New York Marathon, and he rollerbladed, biked and skied his way through the changing seasons. The only things he would sit still for were New York sporting events.
Donald F. Spampinato Jr. was a lacrosse player from Manhasset, N.Y., and a youth coach there. In very good condition, he once qualified for the Iron Man triathlon in Hawaii and had completed a triathlon at Point Lookout on Long Island on Sept. 8, 2001. He left behind a wife and three children.
Robert Andrew Spencer was an all-state lacrosse player and one of the leading scorers in the state during his senior year at St Joseph's High School in Metuchen, N.J. After high school, Andy attended the University of Maryland, where he became President of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and he was a huge supporter of Terrapin lacrosse. Andy had a great personality, a constant smile on his face, and he lived every day to the fullest. He left behind a wife and three young children. In a celebration of life, Andy's wife held his memorial service and the baptism of their one-month old son on the same day.
Andrew Stergiopoulos, 23, of New York City, was a player at Great Neck H.S. and an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald.
Richard H. Stewart Jr. graduated from The Lawrenceville School in 1985, where he played lacrosse for two years. He went on to play Division I hockey at St. Lawrence, where he was part of a team that won the ECAC and played in the national championship game.
John Swaine was a player at Garden City H.S., New York Maritime and Sound Shore Lacrosse Club, as well as a youth coach from Larchmont, N.Y. Aggressive and full of boundless energy, he worked at Cantor Fitzgerald for about 10 years.
Eric "Rick" Thorpe played lacrosse at Phillips Exeter Academy (N.H.) and Lafayette College. His booming voice, competitiveness and self-assurance helped Thorpe become the star quarterback of his undefeated high school football team. But he kept business success in perspective. He helped run a soup kitchen during college, served as a Big Brother and participated in Hands Together, an anti-poverty program in Haiti. He left behind a wife and daughter at age 35.
Walter P. "Wally" Travers was a youth lacrosse coach from Upper Saddle River, N.J. If one of his three kids played a sport, he coached it — even soccer, which he did not really like or understand. Travers had a way of putting both the children and their parents at ease, always getting down on one knee and looking the kid in the eye.
John Damien Vaccacio played lacrosse at Holy Trinity (N.Y.) High School and continued at Hartwick College. He lived in New York City and was 30 years old. He was employed by Cantor Fitzgerald.
Frederick Varacchi was a youth lacrosse coach from Greenwich, Conn., the COO of Cantor Fitzgerald and president of its electronic trading platform eSpeed. A dedicated family man, Varacchi would schedule a 6 a.m. tee time on Saturdays so he could be home before his three kids woke up.
John Vigiano, 36, was a man who enjoyed life. A member of the New York Fire Department, he was a former lacrosse player and Eagle Scout. His son, John, would later follow in his footsteps on the lacrosse field. His brother, Joseph, was also killed in the attacks.
Joseph Vigiano, 34, was killed on 9/11 while attempting to rescue victims trapped in the World Trade Center. One of the NYPD’s most decorated officers, he had been shot and wounded three times in his 14-year career. His brother, John, also died in the attacks. He was honored posthumously with the New York City Police Department’s Medal of Honor.
Glen James Wall was a lacrosse player at Lynbrook (N.Y.) High School and Johns Hopkins University. He had a zest for life and did everything for his two young daughters. A poem from his nieces read at his memorial service: His piggyback rides and dances/Had everyone waiting for a turn/Music from our hands/Was just one thing he helped us learn/But the most important thing he taught us/Was to live life on the “Bright Side of the Road”/And enjoy it while you can/You'll always be in our hearts and minds/Our uncle, our friend, Glen.
Kenneth Watson Sr. was the father of C.W. Post player Ken Watson Jr. Watson, 39, was a firefighter with the New York Fire Department from Smithtown, N.Y.
Glenn Wilkinson played lacrosse at Levittown Memorial (N.Y.) Memorial High School and Hofstra University and was a Suffolk County lacrosse official. Wilkinson, of Bayport, N.Y., was a lieutenant firefighter with the New York Fire Department.