Michael Hardy Edwards: No Sad Songs
for Him
Snap
out of it!"
If anyone slipped into a bad mood, Michael Hardy
Edwards would have none of it. He would order, "Snap out
of it," and then break into one of his dazzling smiles,
featuring the best dimples imaginable.
He would not brook unhappiness. The way he saw it,
life offered too much joy.
One way he found joy was through athletics. He was a
crack hurdler in college, and he continued to run. In
fact, name just about any sport, and it seemed that he
did it: golf, skydiving, scuba diving, snowboarding,
skiing. Early on, he had contemplated becoming a ski
instructor, before choosing a career on Wall Street. His
wife, Jackie, liked activity, but was more moderate. "If
he was scuba diving, I'd be snorkeling," she said. "If he
was skydiving, I'd be on the ground photographing
him."
Mr. Edwards, 33, was a managing director at Sandler
O'Neill & Partners, and lived in Manhattan with his
wife and their pit bull, Little One, whom he pampered
without restraint. "He was so not the typical Wall
Streeter," Mrs. Edwards said. "He would never talk about
what he did. So many of them, they can't wait to tell you
their title." He took a car service to his office at 6:45
in the morning so he could read on the way, but after
work, he preferred to hop on the subway. Once he arrived
home, he shrugged out of his suit and pulled on Army
shorts.
.
