Derek Statkevicus ’93 was a serious Yankees fan and liked to travel; he and his wife and son had just returned from a vacation in North Carolina.

He worked in financial research for Keefe, Broyette & Woods on the 89th floor of 2 World Trade Center. Minutes after the first tower was hit, he called his wife, Kim, to ask her to turn on the news to find out what was happening. He said he was going down a few floors with colleagues to watch the news on TV and await evacuation instructions. Kim never heard from him again.

The couple’s friend Laura Olivieri ’94 says, "Derek was one of my favorite people --- always upbeat and funny and positive." An accounting major who graduated magna cum laude and received many departmental and pre professional honors at IC, Derek was "pleasantly mischievous," says Paul Frankel ’94, who roomed with him during the 1992–93 school year. "He loved to debate --- we always had a bet going on some subject. He could elevate any group dynamic. All his friends thought of Derek and Kim as social ambassadors."

Derek met Kimberly Young in New York City in June 1996. They were married in January 1998 and settled in Norwalk, Connecticut.

"The two of them," says Olivieri, "made an amazing instant transition to parenthood. Derek adored Tyler [born in August 2000] and was very into his family." He was eagerly anticipating the son Kim is expecting in January. The couple had together picked out the name Chase, but Kim now plans to name the baby Derek Chase.

Derek also leaves his younger brother, Joel, and his parents, Nancy and Michael.