Although the events of 9/11 occurred in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, many other states, and even other countries, were hit hard that day.

My home state of Connecticut was keenly affected by that day. 152 of our own were lost.

One of those my state mourns is Bradley J. Fetchet.

Brad Fetchet touched many lives. After that fateful September day, his family would begin to learn just how many. "In the first week, thousands of people came," his mother would remark in a Hartford Courant interview. "He had friends going from hospital to hospital, going to the Armory to fill out a missing person's report. One of his friends set up a Web site. I have baskets full of letters from kids that I don't even know."

He had moved to Manhattan in 1999, and worked as an equities trader with Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, on the 89th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Despite the sometimes cutthroat nature of that business, Brad was known as a kind, generous young man. He would come home to attend his younger brothers' sporting events, or to take them to games. The young man who preferred to let his birthday go by without celebration needed no special occasion to give to others. He would surprise his parents with gifts -

He liked to surprise his parents, like the time this summer he bought a DVD
player and the movie "Gladiator" for his father, set it up and paused at the
most exciting scene. "He called Frank into the family room and said, 'I have
something to show you,'" his mother recalled. "He laid back on the sofa with
that big smile of his and pressed the button ... He had the best smile."
(Hartford Courant)

He was the go-to guy in his family for setting up the electronics or fixing a problem with the computer.

He was an accomplished athelete, who had played both hockey and lacrosse in highschool and college.

And he was looking towards his future. He and girlfriend Brooke had been shopping for engagement rings only days before.

In a day filled with horror and chaos, Bradley had calmly telephoned his family at about 9 am to let them know that he was OK. He called his father, and then left messages for his mother and his girlfriend.

That is the last that anyone heard from him. At 9:02:54 am, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower, between the 78th and 84th floors. Within an hour, that tower would collapse.

His family has decided to honor Brad by establishing a scholarship fund in his memory. Though Brad has left us, his generosity lives on in the Bradley J. Fetchet Memorial Foundation


Links:
Legacy.com - Bradley James Fetchet
Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods - 9/11
Deft Athelete Was a Role Model to Many
Voices of September 11 (Brad's mother is the Founding Director)
Connecticut's Living Memorial
Connecticut's Official List of Victims
Connecticut Remembers 9/11
Other Posts in honor of the 2,996

Join the 2996 Project

Memorial quilt photo courtesy of UnitedInMemory.net