Cranbury resident Fred Price lost 67 of his co-workers, many of whom were close friends, in the terrorist attacks that shocked the nation on Sept. 11.
By: Casha Caponegro
Cranbury resident Fred Price lost 67 of his co-workers, many of whom were close friends, in the terrorist attacks that shocked the nation on Sept. 11.
Mr. Price is a founding member of Sandler O’Neill & Partners, a small investment banking firm that occupied three-quarters of the 104th floor of Two World Trade Center.
That is until that Sept. 11, when two hijacked commercial aircrafts slammed into the Twin Towers, reducing them to a pile of rubble and killing thousands in the process.
At the time of the attacks, Mr. Price was on the other side of the country, preparing for a conference held outside of Seattle.
"I was preparing my speech and had my television on at 5:30 a.m., West Coast time, when I saw the first plane hit the World Trade Center," said Mr. Price. "Simultaneously my wife called me to let me know what happened."
Mr. Price said his initial reaction to the morning’s events was disbelief.
"I felt like I was watching a show on television," he said. "I kept thinking, ‘How could this be happening? Are my eyes deceiving me?’ even though I knew it was real."
Many of Mr. Prices co-workers died in the attack. As a result, Mr. Price and his wife, Vivian, are mourning the loss of many close friends.
"I lost my mentor, Herman Sandler, who I’ve known for 20 years," Mr. Price said. "I’ve also lost many very close friends, people I’ve worked with and knew socially or even traveled with."
Sandler O’Neill prided itself in promoting a family atmosphere among employees, which makes the loss of 67 of its 167 employees even more difficult.
"They were my extended family," said Mr. Price. "Our office had a very close-knit, family atmosphere. Our employees lived their lives together. It went way beyond a working relationship."
Sandler O’Neill has relocated the majority of its remaining workers to the 19th floor of 9 West 57th St., sharing the space with their hosts, Banc of America Securities.
"There is a great sense of loss, grief and sympathy in the office right now," said Mr. Price. "We are all busy trying to help the families of those we lost and rebuild the business. This busyness helped us not confront our loss, as we know we will when time goes by."
Sandler O’Neill is struggling to maintain a business-as-usual attitude while it deals with the impact of its loss.
"This is a highly emotional period," said Mr. Price. "There is a high sense of mission as we try to rebuild the business. But there is a constant reminder of loss as we attend memorial services for our friends."
The Prices have received an outpouring of condolences and sympathy from the Cranbury community over the last two weeks.
"We want to thank our wonderful community," said Mr. Price. "We have gotten so many cards of encouragement and sympathy. Their support has been very much appreciated by Viv and I."
A fund has been established to benefit the families of the 67 employees who were lost in the attacks. Contributions may be sent to Sandler O’Neill Foundation, P.O. Box 886, Chatham, N.J. 07928.