originally http://www.ardice.net/2006/09/09/remembering-paul-j-battaglia/ Ardice view of the world thru my eyes home | about | archives | plugins | contact | 2996 bloglist | sidebar → September 11th » « They Escaped Remembering Paul J. Battaglia 9 September 2006 | 13:09 | Projects, 2996, September 11 In August of 2001 I stumbled on Paul’s blog. I liked the few entries that he posted so I bookmarked it. With school starting and getting school supplies and getting my daughters ready for the new school year I really didn’t get a chance to visit his site again until after September 11th. I knew he worked at the World Trade Center so even though I didn’t know him I began to worry about him. I had hoped he didn’t go to work that day or maybe he somehow made it out of the building. For the next few days I would go to his site and look through the photos, journals of his trips and messages left on his guestbook. Then I saw the news. When I heard of the 2996 Project I knew I wanted to join and I asked if I could do Paul’s tribute, so here it is… Paul James Battaglia 1/03/79 - 9/11/01 Paul was the type of kid who never took anything for granted, said his mother Elaine Leinung, who laughs through her tears as she speaks about her son. At 2 months old, Paul was diagnosed with a condition that could cause kidney failure. If it hadn’t been caught, he would have died as a baby. From then on she always believed that her son was destined for greatness. As a preschooler, Paul had a knack for numbers. How else to explain a 4-year-old tallying the correct amount of change due even before the cashier at the grocery could? It happened a lot, Ms. Leinung said, and by age 10, he was balancing checkbooks. “I would have such difficulty with it and complain,” Ms. Leinung said. “It all started with his Commodore 64 computer when he was 9. He found his niche: numbers.” When he was about 8, he set up a small business near his family’s home in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. Capitalizing on the fact that the nearest store was 20 minutes away, he set up a candy stand, buying candy wholesale from a local factory and selling it at a markup. This entrepreneurial spirit remained strong. At Regis High School, a Manhattan school for gifted students, Paul was chairman of the fundraising committee. By his senior year at Regis High School in Manhattan, Paul had earned an internship with Marsh & McLennan. After graduating high school Paul attended the State University of New York at Binghamton where he became the general manager of campus radio station WHRW-FM. The radio station was in bad shape when Paul took over as general manager but it didn’t take long for him to turn it around. He was also the Jazz DJ for the station and he would often have on air talks with his grandfather. In 1999, Paul won student of the year. After he graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 2000, his internship turned into a position as a risk consultant. His office was on the 100th floor of Tower 1 in the World Trade Center. On his website he kept journals on his trip to London during Spring Break of 2000 and his trip to Europe in the Summer of 2000. He also had a blog with a handful of entries and a few photo galleries. His family and friends have been keeping his site going as a tribute to him. Here are comments from a few of the people who knew him… Paul was my first born, At 2 months old was diagnosed with bilateral hydronephrosis, a condition in which the ureters (tubes) coming from the kidneys and carrying urine into the bladder were blocked, i noticed that his diapers were not as heavy with urine as they were just a day or two before, (Remember diaper service, not Pampers!) Any way the surgeon was impressed that i picked up on this fact so quickly because he was going into kidney failure and would have died in 24 hours! We were able to save one Kidney and part of another. I always felt that God or an angel guided me that day and saved Paul’s life. From that time on I guess I always thought he was destined for something really special. And he was a truly remarkable boy. I mean how many boys will do Christmas shopping for their mothers. Take their sister and brother school shopping. Call thier Grandfather just to say Hello! Always call home if he was going to be late? Kiss his Grandpa Jerry and his Mom good-night every night. Hug all of us every day? He was my son so of course i think he was special but, reading all these tributes I know alot of people felt that way about him too. His friends have been wonderful they have helped me thru this nightmare. The Memorial service, the CD all about his life, the eulogies and more have been impressive beyond any expectations, His girl friend Aline is a very special woman and I was hoping to be able to call her my “daughter”. I had 22 very happy but ultimately very short years with my son Paul. I pray that he and all the others including my Cousin Harry Taback (Paul’s mentor) who were killed in the terrorist attack at the WTC on 9/11/01 have not died in vain. As I type this I am crying. I would give anything just to hold my son and feel his” fuzzy”cheeked kiss at night again. His sister Kristen is devasted he will not be dancing with her at her sweet 16, His brother Eric has big shoes to fill and misses Paul with all his heart. His “Dad” John raised him from 4 yrs old and always felt like a real father to him. We are all grateful for all the out pouring of love and Paul stories. Words cannot express how grateful I am to all who took time to send a mesage. I love all his friends who were there for us at tihs time of grief. I don’t want to leave any one out so let me say thank you one and all, I love you all please don’t forget to call and let us know how you are. –Elaine Leinung, Paul’s Mother, October 10, 2001 ————– Paul Battaglia was a true “Man for Others.” Although Paul was only 23-years-old on that fateful day, he had already managed to positively impact the lives of so many of those who knew him. Even now, Paul continues to touch the lives of people he never had the chance to meet. The most touching tribute to Paul can be found on his Web site, where hundreds of family, friends and people who never even met Paul have written about the impact he has had on all of our lives. –Brian Lennon, friend —————— Paul had a knack for just lighting up a room — by cracking a joke or just smiling. I don’t know how I would have made it through my four years at Binghamton without him. –Brian Napolitano, friend. —————— I met Paul while at S.U.N.Y. Binghamton; I was a ‘blue bus’ driver, and at the time, the campus radio station and Off Campus College were on the same floor in the student union. Paul- smart, charming, sweet, always with a smile or kind word (or wisecrack)- always nodded or said “hello”. He caught my eye because he reminded me very much of my younger brother, Daniel; perhaps this is why I wept so much when I heard of Paul’s death- I felt as though I’d also lost a beloved family member. I didn’t know him well, but I miss him, and am deeply saddened to think that his life was cut so short, so unfairly…I can’t even imagine how you, his family, must be missing him. Five years later, I think of Paul at least once a week. His positivity, the wonderful man he was, still makes me smile; his loss still elicits a painful ache in my heart. –Lidice Kathia Henriquez —————— As a teacher at Regis, I witnessed firsthand the kindness and warmth of your son. His incredible sense of humor and unique perspective on life definitely made our days at Regis brighter. It really is an injustice that his days with us were cut short. I just wanted you to know that Paul touched so many people and made a real difference. He will be missed. Somewhere in heaven Paul is making all the angels laugh. –Barbara O’Connell —————— Paul, You are my best friend, my mentor and my inspiration. You taught me how to fully live my life. I admire you so much. It has been a month and I still cannot fathom not having you here in my life. I doubt that I will ever fully come to terms with what has happened. You know, during a time like this I would usually turn to you for some type of wisdom and assurance. We are all so lonely without you. –Erin Brown, friend