Cantor Memorial Draws 5,000 as Giuliani Eulogizes Victims
New York, Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- More than 5,000 family
members and friends of Cantor Fitzgerald LP World Trade Center
victims, some bearing pictures and placards, others carrying
children or pushing strollers, gathered in Central Park to
eulogize their loved ones.
The firm, which lost 730 of its 970 trade center employees in
the Sept. 11 attack, organized the tribute. Speeches by Chief
Executive Howard Lutnick, who has promised 25 percent of future
Cantor profits to victims' families, and New York City Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani drew applause. Judy Collins sang, joined by the
Boys Choir of Harlem on ``Amazing Grace'' as the throng left the
park in a light drizzle.
Tom Phillips came from Boston after learning his friend,
Saranya Srinuan, 23, with whom he'd attended Bronx High School of
Science, had died in the building. ``I've known her for 10 years
and I just saw her a month ago,'' Phillips said. ``Her parents
came. I wasn't sure if they would, because they were trying to
keep hope alive. Now I heard they'll have a memorial for her.''
Lutnick promised to rebuild the firm, and surviving employees
said they believed they'd succeed. Many said they'd attended
dozens of memorial services for friends and relatives in the past
two weeks; even so, they said they're making progress in getting
back to work.
The crowd in Central Park, who left the memorial carrying
stuffed animals, purple irises and white lilies and a letter of
condolence from President George W. Bush, was multi-ethnic and
international. Journalists and camera crews waited across from the
park, including some from Japan and the Philippines, Germany,
Great Britain and Russia. As the families exited, the crews
searched the crowd for their nationals to interview.
Recovering
Alexei Sokholovskiy, who came to the U.S. from St.
Petersburg, Russia nine years ago, was working in another Cantor
office on Sept. 11. He lost dozens of friends and colleagues. The
Cantor employees who survived are determined to rebuild, he said.
``This is a strong company,'' Sokholovskiy said. ``We've had
huge losses of people, and that hurts, but we have offices in
London and Tokyo and we have the systems. We will recover.''
Cantor, which handled about one-quarter of daily trades in
the $3 trillion U.S. government bond market before the attack, was
based on the 101st, 103rd, 104th and 105th floors of the trade
center. It's now operating out of temporary offices in New York
and New Jersey, and routing some business through its London
office.
The firm also has said it will pay employee bonuses by year-
end, and has set up a foundation for families of Cantor victims.
Among the victims were board members and top executives of Cantor
Fitzgerald, as well as its subsidiaries TradeSpark, which traded
energy securities, and ESpeed Inc., the publicly traded unit,
which provides securities trading over the Internet or on its
private network. Cantor, the parent company, specialized in
traditional trading, with brokers over the phone.
Lutnick, 40, survived because he was taking his son to his
first day of kindergarten when the attack happened.
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