Welles Crowther
| Welles Crowther | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Welles Remy Crowther May 17, 1977 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 11, 2001 (aged 24) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | The Man in the Red Bandana |
| Alma mater | Boston College |
| Occupation | Investment Banker |
| Employer | Sandler O'Neill and Partners |
| Known for | Acts of heroism during the September 11 attacks |
Welles Remy Crowther (May 17, 1977 – September 11, 2001) was an American equities trader known for saving at least a dozen lives during the September 11 attacks in New York City, during which he lost his own life.
Welles Remy Crowther was born the first of three children. His parents, Jefferson and Allison, raised him and his two younger sisters, Honor and Paige, in the northern New York suburb of Nyack, New York.
As a child, Crowther looked up to his father, and one day, while seeing his father meticulously getting dressed for church, noticed that his father put a white handkerchief in the breast pocket of his suit coat and then wrapped a small comb in a blue or red bandanna and stuck it in his right hip pocket. When Welles was 6 years old, his father gave him a red bandanna that would become a signature trademark and a link between father and son, that he would carry with him everywhere, wearing one under all of his sports uniforms in high school, always as #19.
Crowther joined his father as a volunteer firefighter at age 16, becoming a junior member of the Empire Hook and Ladder Company. He later attended Boston College, where he played lacrosse, wearing his bandana under his helmet. In 1999 Crowther graduated with honors with a degree in economics. He subsequently moved to New York City, taking a job as an equities trader for Sandler O'Neill and Partners, settling into an office on the 104th floor of South Tower of the World Trade Center. Though Crowther had long aspired to be in business, he eventually came to dislike desk work, and entertained dreams of joining the FDNY or the FBI or CIA.
On September 11, 2001, minutes after United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower between floors 78 and 85 at 9:03 a.m., the 24 year-old Crowther called his mother from his office at 9:12 a.m., calmly leaving a brief message saying, "Mom, this is Welles. I wanted you to know that I'm OK." Crowther made his way down to the 78th floor sky lobby, where he encountered a group of survivors, huddled and waiting for help, including a badly burned Ling Young, who worked on the 86th floor in New York's Department of Taxation and Finance. Young had been one of approximately 200 people waiting at a bank of elevators to evacuate when the plane hit the tower, and one of the few survivors. Blinded by the blood covering her glasses, she was rescued when Crowther appeared, carrying a young woman on his back, and directed them in a strong, authoritative voice, to the stairway. The survivors followed him 15 floors down, where he dropped off the woman he was carrying before heading back upstairs to assist others. By the time he returned to the 78th floor, he had a bandana around his nose and mouth to protect him from smoke and haze. He found another group of survivors, which included AON Corp. employee Judy Wein, who worked on the 103rd floor and was in pain from a broken arm, cracked ribs and a punctured lung. According to Wein, Crowther assisted in putting out fires and administering first aid. He then announced to that group, "Everyone who can stand, stand now. If you can help others, do so." He directed this group downstairs as well. "If he hadn't come back, I wouldn't have made it," said Wein. "People can live 100 years and not have the compassion, the wherewithal to do what he did." As occupants of the Tower headed for the street, Crowther turned around and went back inside multiple times, according to witnesses. He was last seen doing so with members of the FDNY before the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m.
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