 | © |
Jane Ernst Remy
grandmother of Welles Remy Crowther
Information on the ongoing legacy of Welles Crowther, which includes a
charitable trust and artistic events, is available at www.crowthertrust.org .
The Man in the Red Bandanna
All photos © Drunell Levinson. All rights reserved.
This quilt was lovingly designed and created in memory of Welles Remy Crowther by his maternal grandmother, Jane Ernst Remy.
The embroidered portrait of Welles was a gift from the Alexander family of Mainly Monograms, West Nyack, NY.
Welles Remy Crowther, 24 years old, was an equities trader with Sandler O'Neill & Partners, 2 World Trade Center, 104th floor. He was also a fully trained volunteer firefighter, having joined Empire Hook & Ladder Co., No. 1, Upper Nyack, NY at the age of 16.
On September 11, 2001, when the attacks on the World Trade Center began, Welles was no longer an equities trader. He became a firefighter.
Through telephone calls, Welles was known to have been in his office at approximately 9:00 AM.
However, he was recovered on March 19, 2002, along with NYFD firefighters and emergency services personnel who had been operating a NYFD Command Center in the lobby of the South Tower.
Welles' final hour remained a mystery until an article about September 11th printed in The New York Times (5/26/02) mentioned eyewitness reports of a mysterious man in a red bandanna on the 78th floor Sky Lobby of 2 World Trade Center when the second plane crashed into the south tower.
This is where Welles was likely to have been at that time, since he was ultimately able to get down to the main lobby before the tower collapsed.
Eyewitnesses reported that after the plane had hit into the sky lobby a man suddenly appeared "out of nowhere." He was stripped to his T-shirt and wearing a red bandanna to cover his nose and mouth, protection against the smoke and debris.
This man organized a rescue effort on the floors high above where the official rescue workers were able to reach. He called for fire extinguishers, he found and directed dazed and confused victims to the only stairwell that was open for escape, he carried a woman down to the 61st floor, then returned to the 78th floor to rescue more people. He turned back up again after bringing the second group of survivors down.
Eyewitnesses report that the man spoke calmly, with authority, and was obviously well-trained. He is reported to have saved many lives that day.
Knowing that her son always carried a red bandanna in his back right pocket, Welles' mother believed that the description of the mysterious man fit her son: his character, his training and his likely location at the time. She sent recent photographs of her son to the eyewitnesses.
The witnesses confirmed that Welles Crowther was the "Man in the Red Bandanna" who helped to save their lives and others on September 11th.
Alison Crowther, mother of Welles Remy Crowther
May 17, 1977 - September 11, 2001
Nyack High School, Class of 1995
4 years varsity ice hockey, Co-captain Senior year
4 years varsity lacrosse
2 years varsity soccer
Member, Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse (VAASA)
Participant, RYLA, a Rotary youth leadership conference
2 years, The Bear Mountain Bears Travel Ice Hockey Team
4 years, High Honor Roll
Member, Empire Hook and Ladder Company, No.1, Upper Nyack, NY
Communicant at Grace Episcopal Church, Nyack, NY
Cub Scouts
Boy Scouts, Member Troop No. 2, Nyack
Little League Baseball
Pop Warner Football
Boston College, Class of 1999
Chestnut Hill, MA
B.A., Economics
4 years Varsity Lacrosse
Member, Christian Athletes
Sandler O'Neill and Partners, LP
2 World Trade Center
104th Floor
NYC
June, 1999 to September 11, 2001
Research Analyst, then
Equities Trader
for this investment banking firm.
Note from September 11 Quilts: Information on the ongoing legacy of Welles Crowther, which includes a charitable trust and artistic events, is available at www.crowthertrust.org .
The Internet also contains a large number of other references to Welles Crowther in a variety of contexts from a variety of sources. We recommend that you search for his name, using a search engine such as google.com.
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