.

.

 

MATTHEW BURKE: Man With Connections

 

A Matthew Burke was the kind of bartender who sensed the mood in the room, grabbed hold of it, then dialed up the energy level until everyone was part of the party. His memory for customers' names was encyclopedic, but no matter how crowded the bar and no matter how frenzied he was, he would always aim a smile toward the customers he did not know.

A blond 6-footer, he regaled patrons with sports lore and tales of his career as a quarterback at Xavier High School in Manhattan, "when he threw the most touchdowns in the league that year, and also threw the most interceptions," said a friend, Brendan McCormick.

Mr. Burke worked at the Lantern, at Rathbone's, at Sutton Place and other bars, and his tips went toward paying for his degree at Fordham University. "It was so natural, then, for him to become a broker, because he had so many connections and he made people feel good about themselves," Mr. McCormick said. And that is why, on the morning of Sept. 11, at the age of 28, Mr. Burke was working hard at Cantor Fitzgerald, on the 104th floor of 1 World Trade Center.

.

From "Profiles in Grief" of The New York Times