REMEMBERING 9/11/01 The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 7A OUR UNIVERSITY ALUMNI JOSHUA ROSENTHAL Josh Rosenthal's passion for public policy served as the driving force behind his studies and ideas. Remembered by his mother, Marilyn, for his optimistic goals and grasp on reality, Rosenthal <. graduated from the University in 1979 with a CLASS OF 1979 bachelor's in political science. Following his years at the University, Rosen- SENIOR VP, FIDUCIARY thal went on to get a master's in public affairs TRUST INTERNATIONAL from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton WORLD TRADE CENTER University. Named a Truman Fellow at Princeton, Rosenthal was recognized for his dedication to public service, leadership qualities and scholastic achieve- ments. Rosenthal, born June 4, 1957, was senior vice president and an invest- ment portfolio manager of the firm Fiduciary Trust Company International in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. He also served on the Uni- versity's Investment Advisory Committee. Rosenthal is survived by Marilyn, a medical sociology professor at Uni- versity of Michigan at Dearborn, his father Skip, sister Helen and his nieces Madeleine and Alexandra Morino. CHRISTINA RYOOK It could be something as little as buying a bottle of laundry detergent or as large as coordinating an event ~ for the Korean Students Association, but Christina Ryook's thoughtfulness showed in her actions. Ryook's freshman-year roommate, Alysa Ull- man, remembered exchanging pre-move-in phone ASS OF 1998 calls. "Just from the first conversation I knew she CL was a very thoughtful person," she said. HUMAN RESOURCES The Ohioan Ryook offered to bring large appli- CANTOR F I TZG E RA L D ances to outfit their Mary Markley Residence Hall WORLD T\RADE CENTER room so that Ullman, an Arizona native, would not have to worry about traveling with them. On Ryook's list was a large bottle of Tide to share with her roommate. During their freshman year, the door to their room was always open to friends who needed advice about anything from boyfriends to school, Ullman said. "She was always kind of like the mother hen of our hallway. It was just this joke that the two of us never, ever slept." 1 "She was like the big sister I never had," said Kyon Holman, a friend who met Ryook in Markley. Ryook, three months the elder, taught Holman the Korean word for older sister, "uhn-nee". She, in turn, began calling Holman little brother in Kore- an. They tricked a friend into believing they were related, despite Ryook's roots and Holman's black heritage. META JLLER:WALLER When American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon one year ago yesterday, Uni- versity alum Meta Fuller Waller was working at her desk. Waller, 60, served for 12 years as special pro- grams manager for the Secretary of the U.S. C SS OF 1973 Army and had graduated from the University in 1973 with a general studies degree. She earned SPECIAL PROGRAMS MGR. a master's degree from Harvard's Kennedy SECRETARY TO THE ARMY, School of Government. PENTAGON A resident of Alexandria, Va., Waller held a life-long interest in civil rights and attended the United Nations Conference on Racism in South Africa shortly before her death. Waller, who had endured the death of her husband and daughter, remained hopeful and strong. Friends said Waller was looking forward to traveling and experiencing life outside of the Pentagon. Known to family members as a talented storyteller and writer, Waller was considering retirement. Frequent travels to Martha's Vineyard were the inspiration for many of Waller's creative works. I MEREDITH WHALEN "I take each day as it comes, and in some ways it's hard to believe it's been a whole year. It's been forever, said Patricia Whalen, mother of Sept. I1 victim and University alum Meredith Whalen. Meredith, a 2000 Business School graduate, worked as a research analyst for Fred Alger Man- C LASS OF 2000 agement Inc. on the 93rd floor of World Trade Cen- FRED ALGER ter Tower One. "They've never found any of her remains," MANAGEMENT Whalen said. "I thought right from the begin- WORLD TRADE CENTER ning - she was at the point of impact - that she probably died instantly. So I was okay with thinking that." The University plans to install a marble bench in Meredith's memory on the grounds of the Business School. "I was going to pay for the bench, but (the University) wanted to do it," Whalen said. Shortly after Meredith's death Whalen created a scholarship fund at the Univer- sity and the Canton Community Foundation in her daughters' name. Whalen received donations from friends, strangers and Meredith's former employer. "They helped to make it a very sizeable scholarship fund, so it should go on for several years." MARK ZEPLIN Mark Zeplin had just bought a house where. he and his wife Debra were planning on raising their two young sons in, his friend Mitch Hasenbind said.y He loved Bruce Springsteen, Michigan sports f A and was a true family man, said Joslin Zeplin I FRIENDS TILL THE END Three young men met at the University as brothers of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. These three frends, Greg Richards, Larry Polatsch and Scott Wengard, worked alongside each other at the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald. They began and ended their careers together when they pershed in the World Trade Center on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. LAURENCE LARRY"' POLATSCH Danny Polatsch described his brother as "one of these guys who actually lived.".. He had asked Julia Roberts out on a datex while in a magazine shop, snuck into Michael Douglas' wedding, and loved to crash parties at the Plaza Hotel in New York City when he and his friends had nothing to do at night, his life- C LASS OF 1990 long friend Gary Bell said. Polatsch, or L.P. as his friends called him, PARTNER, lived every moment to the fullest and was never CANTOR FITZGERALD held back by his inhibitions or fears. He was WORLD TRADE CENTER always smiling, partying and making people laugh, Bell said. He graduated from the University in 1990 with a degree in political science and later went to the University of Syracuse Law School. Although he was trained as a lawyer, he switched career paths several years ago and was work- ing in equity sales at Cantor Fitzgerald located on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center. "I think about him all the time, all the time, constantly, whenever I have a free moment on my mind," Bell said. "He just had a heart of gold and it really made me appreciate life a lot more." GREGORY RicHARDSz A wiz with numbers, Greg Richards was successful at what he did. After receiving his bachelors degree in economics in 1992 he went on to several jobs where he flourished and was able to do what he loves. WAh~ie it NMichigan- Greg asa2membe~r SCOTT WEINGARD You would never hear an unkind word out of his mouth unless it was in reference to the team play- ing against Michigan on football Saturday, said friends of Scott "Scotty" Weingard. "Scotty is the kind of guy who nobody ever had a bad word to say about him and he never had a C' A C C r 1 Q Q ' 1I