.

.

 

THOMAS H. BOWDEN JR.: A New Jersey Native Son

 

Thomas H. Bowden Jr. grew up in Glen Ridge, N.J., about a dozen miles due west of Manhattan, and, like any self-respecting son of New Jersey, he was deeply, openly and emotionally loyal to Bruce Springsteen. He once argued to his skeptical father that the Boss trumped the Chairman of the Board as New Jersey's greatest voice. How, then, to explain Mr. Bowden's love of the Boston Red Sox? Even his mother, Sheilah Bowden, was a little baffled by that one. The best she could come up with is that her son had a soft spot for underdogs.

Mr. Springsteen would understand.

Mr. Bowden was 36, an equities trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. He started there in 1993, the same week as the first terror attack on the World Trade Center. He and his wife, Deborah, had two children, Sara, 22 months, and Alyson, born two weeks early on Aug. 31. His family now views this last fact as a small gift from God.

One of his finest qualities, his mother said, was a fierce protectiveness of family and friends. He remained close to boys he first met in grade school. Early in the morning he would stand over Sara's crib, fortifying himself with her smile. Now, thanks to his friends, she has a necklace with a silver heart engraved with his initials.

.

From "Profiles in Grief" of The New York Times