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Bruce Eagleson: Attention to Detail

 

When Bruce Eagleson would say he would make dinner, his sons -- they're 15, 19 and 22 now -- would groan and say, "Now we'll never eat -- it'll take hours!" It was probably worth the wait, though, because Mr. Eagleson was a perfectionist -- whether at home or at work, he had to get every detail just right.

Do not think he lacked a sense of humor, though. On the contrary, he was famous for his practical jokes -- with telephone impersonation being a pet trick -- said his wife, Gail. If, say, he overheard his sister-in-law mention a person causing her trouble in some union negotiation, he would call and pretend to be that person, just to mix things up a bit.

Mr. Eagleson, 53, hoped to retire within seven years. He loved golfing and fishing in New Hampshire, and hoped to spend more time there.

A vice president at the Westfield Group, of Los Angeles, Mr. Eagleson, who lived in Connecticut, was at a meeting on the 17th floor of 2 World Trade Center discussing Westfield's plans to run the trade center's retail operations. His oldest son called him after the first plane hit and urged him to leave. Mr. Eagleson said he was evacuating people, but promised to get out.

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From "Profiles in Grief" of The New York Times