The following is reprinted with permission from the website in honour of Western alumnus Ralph Gerhardt, BA’92 (Economics), who lost his life in Tower 1 of the World Trade Center 10 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001. This excerpt is from the eulogy that his father, Hans J. Gerhardt, delivered at a memorial service held at St. Paul’s Basilica, Toronto, on Oct. 15, 2001.
Ralph called me on the 11th. At 8:52a.m. He was calm, but very serious.
“Dad, something happened at the World Trade Center. A bomb or plane hit the building. I am okay. We are okay. I love you, but I have to go now. We are evacuating the building. Talk to you later.”
* * *
That call never came. Ralph was on the 105th Floor of Tower 1.
* * *
He was working there for Cantor Fitzgerald as Vice President of Derivatives for the past year and a half. Prior to that, he was working for them in the Toronto office.
Meeting with company officials and other grieving family members, and understanding the structure of the building and where the plane impacted.
We have come to the difficult conclusion that not one person from the company’s 733 employees, nor anyone above the 91st. floor, made it out alive.
* * *
This includes our son, Ralph, and his lady friend, Linda Luzzicone, who also worked on the same floor.
* * *
We met Linda and we know that they had a wonderful relationship. Linda’s Dad had told me that Linda never looked happier than in the past months. We can only hope that they were together in their final moments. We saw a lot of Ralph and Linda these past months.
* * *
As a matter of fact, they visited us in Toronto over the Labour Day weekend, And I visited them in New York the weekend prior.
* * *
Helga talked daily with Ralph in New York and with Stephan in Washington, DC . And many times did I complain about that, seeing the monthly phone bill. Today, I am glad she did not listen to me!
* * *
One never knows if or when you will see or talk to each other again. Ralph had that special quality in all of his relationships, to make every moment special And to make it count. In our daily phone calls or visits, there was always a hug and an
“I love you, Mom”
And
“I love you, Dad.”
* * *
New York City has been so special to us in these difficult days.
New Yorkers have great reasons to be proud. And we as Canadians should be proud to have such compassionate neighbours, Brothers and sisters. In any family one tries to build a foundation of love and trust.
* * *
One can’t see if one did achieve that goal until a crisis arises.
* * *
Today this foundation is visible to us and
to the world.
* * *
Strangers have hugged us, gave us flowers, flags, Teddy Bears, prayed, and cried with us insisted on paying our bus fares, taxi drivers refused their fare offered us any help we may need.
* * *
And if one says today,
“I love New York,”
it takes on a whole different meaning.
On behalf of the Gerhardt family, I can proudly say to you,
“We love New York.”
The full tribute to Ralph Gerhardt can be found at: ralphgerhardt.com
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