Tt post - sep 11, 2015

Jon Grabowski - A brilliant, humble, and generous computer programmer I knew in the late 1990s who lived and worked in Manhattan. Our company used software that was produced by Jon G's employer. I printed his C source code for study. He gave me his home phone number to call if we had issues. He didn't mind that I called him at home on a Sunday morning. At least he never seemed bothered. Always helpful. He visited us here in farm country, and we visited him in Manhattan.

In the late 1990s, Jon G worked at a company that was located a block or two from the World Trade Center. He would arrive at work around 10:00 a.m., which is not unusual for hackers.

Jon G started his new job only a week before the attacks, and since it was a new job, and since his new role was more management-like, he arrived at work early. His new employer, Marsh & McLennan, was located in the North Tower, which was the first tower struck. And the company occupied floors that were hit by the plane. Therefore, I assume that he was killed instantly.

At the time of the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, the corporation held offices on eight floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, from 93 to 100. When American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the building, their offices spanned the entire impact zone, from floors 93 to 99. Everybody present in the offices at the time of the attack died, and the firm lost 295 employees and 63 contractors.

I lost touch with Jon G after 2000, and I did not know that he started a new job in the WTC.

Jon G's wife remembered that her husband had done a lot of work for us. She emailed us with the bad news.