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BRETT T. BAILEY: A Broker in a Wet Suit

 

Having spent his teenage years near the ocean in Bricktown, N.J., Brett T. Bailey seemed to pass whole seasons wearing a wet suit &emdash; whether it was winter, spring, summer or fall. "It was hard to get him out of the water," said his father, Kevin Bailey. "He loved surfing. He loved swimming. He loved anything athletic. He was very playful."

Mr. Bailey, 28, worked as a lifeguard when he was a teenager but there was little question that after college he would become a broker, like his father and three uncles before him. "The financial world is kind of in his blood," Kevin Bailey said. He worked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange before taking a job as an options broker three years ago with Euro Brokers in 2 World Trade Center.

Mr. Bailey was a determined athlete. He started the summer with a 26 handicap in golf. By September, his handicap was down to 19. "That tells you what he was like when he set his mind to something," said his father. "But one of the most interesting things about Brett was his ability to make friends very quickly, almost upon meeting them. He had such a diverse group of friends. From the New England fisherman to the Wall Street broker, they were all equal to him."

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From "Profiles in Grief" of The New York Times