Ralph Gerhardt: A Dream
Fulfilled
He
delighted in bungee jumping and feeding sharks. At 6 feet
2 inches tall, Ralph Gerhardt enjoyed playing the part of
daredevil and strong man. He had an impish sense of humor
and a reputation for practical jokes.
Still, he was an affectionate son, who called his
parents in Toronto every day.
He had grown up in Toronto, the son of German
immigrants, but New York had always been his dream.
And so last February -- when Mr. Gerhardt, a
34-year-old bond trader, was transferred by Cantor
Fitzgerald to the 105th floor of the World Trade Center
-- was one of the happiest times of his life.
He was eager to show his parents that life -- "my New
York" as he was so proud to call it.
His parents came often to visit so he could show them
the apartment he was fixing up on Lexington Avenue and
26th Street, the bicycle he liked to ride over to Central
Park, the woman from Staten Island he had met at work,
the many museums and monuments he prided himself on
knowing, as well as the best tour guides.
"It was the pinnacle," said his father, Hans Gerhardt,
who last heard from his son at 8:48 a.m., moments after
the plane hit. "He said: 'Something just happened. I am
O.K. We are evacuating. I will call you later.'"
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