By Peter J DaPuzzo
As former President of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. Institutional Equities Division from 1995 to 2003, I have many personal memories of some of the Greenwich residents that were lost on 9/11 that I’d like to share on the 20th Anniversary of the most tragic event most of us have ever endured.
Of the 2977 people who perished on 9/11, 658 worked for Cantor Fitzgerald of which 134 were part of the Institutional Equities Division. My sadness and sense of loss will never fade, but a few glad remembrances have often made me think more clearly about the colleagues, friends and neighbors I lost. Hopefully they can help others.
Brian Cummins (38) was a fraternity brother of my son Doug’s at the University of Colorado,Boulder. Brian went on to earn his Masters from Rutgers University, my alma mater. He was always teased about being “The Scholar” and the smartest guy in the room.We are still close with Brian’s family in Greenwich.
Chuck Zion (54) known as “ The Bear “ probably his size and growl were two of the reasons. But his tenacity once he received an order from a client made him one of the best salesmen I had ever met. He would growl over the speaker phone to salesmen around the country who should be calling their clients looking for the other side of the trade. I’d often see Chuck in the basement parking garage of the WTC at around 7:30 am.
He always drove a shiny black Mercedes S550. One day I saw there was some damage to the front of the car and when I asked he just shrugged. The next morning I saw Chuck in a new Mercedes S550 and when I asked he said time was money and he could not waste time waiting for a car to be repaired.
Steve Cherry (41) was not only a husband and proud father and top salesman, he was also a very good entertainer. He lead his own band and sang on weekends all around Fairfield County at various events. When he asked to perform at Cantor’s Annual Party on the USS Intrepid docked on Manhattan’s West Side I was delighted to let him do his thing. He was very good and all his co workers were very proud of his success as were his wife and children.
Mike Rothberg (39) trained 12 people to form one of the industry’s most productive and efficient Program Trading Teams. He was extremely hard working yet easy to work with. Mike was at all times a gentleman and one of the most intelligent men I met in business. He had a lovely cottage on the L I Sound in Old Greenwich.
My wife, Mary Jane & I lived in Glen Ridge, NJ before we moved to NYC and then Connecticut. Our eldest son Jeff was and is a lifelong friend of the Candela Family.
He’d spend time at their home and learn some Italian recipes he’d share with us. When John Candela (42) applied for a job and had a strong resume I was pleased to extend an offer to him. Everyone loved his work ethic. He was a fun loving and caring man.
Tom Bowden (36) also of Glen Ridge, NJ and our son Doug met in the 5th grade They were inseparable from that day forward. Tom and Doug always played at each other’s homes. It was as if MJ and I had gained a fourth son, he was family to us.
Tom was in Doug’s wedding party and Doug and another great friend Ken Swain were Tom’s Best Men! None of us in our family will ever forget the impression these men made on our lives.
In closing I would like to remember the other Cantor’ s Greenwich fallen heroes.
Also their families and all the victims of the 9/11 attack will forever be in our memories.
Bryan Bennett, Geoffrey Cloud, Erik Isbrandtsen, Stephen LaManta, Kevin MacCarthy, Eamon McEneany, Edward Maloney, Michael Pelletier, Fred Varacchi.
From my Heart, Peter J DaPuzzo
