'His Best Feature Was Being a True Friend'
Michael Andrew Tamuccio worried about his parents' forthcoming tour of Eastern Europe. Concerned that the couple, both in their 60s, might not be safe in the former Iron Curtain countries, he called three times for reassurance on their day of departure Sept. 7. He was calling from his office on the 93rd floor of Tower One.
Patricia and James Tamuccio cut short their trip in Krakow, Poland, on Sept. 11 when they learned that a hijacked plane had crashed into the tower where their son, 37, worked as vice president of equity trading for Fred Alger Management.
The elder Tamuccios began a frustrating, six-day journey home. On Sept. 13 Patricia Tamuccio turned to the Internet and was relieved to see Michael's name on a list of survivors. The list turned out to be a hoax.
With his wife, Kathleen, the parents would begin the heart-breaking chore of taking his DNA samples to Pier 94.
Michael Tamuccio was an outdoorsman who loved all sports, including fishing, golf and baseball. "But his best feature was being a true friend. He was so caring and sensitive that people turned to him for advice on jobs or whether to return to school. He touched so many lives," his mother said.
More than 1,000 attended a service for him.
Tamuccio and his wife had recently bought a home in Pelham Manor in Westchester and were busy renovating it. He grew up on the South Shore where he played Little League baseball and became an Eagle Scout with Troop 123 of Sacred Heart Church in North Merrick.
He was on the wrestling team at Chaminade High School in Mineola, where he graduated in 1982.
He went on to graduate from Fordham University and to follow his dad into a Wall Street career. — Rhoda Amon, Newsweek, 9/28/2001