These 15 Binghamton University Alumni Never Came Home on 9/11

Binghamton University lost 15 of its own on September 11, 2001. They were alumni who had once walked the same paths across the Vestal campus before building careers and families of their own in New York and New Jersey, careers that ended inside the World Trade Center on a Tuesday morning 25 years ago this September.

Their names are carved into a memorial courtyard on campus, and this anniversary year, the Southern Tier is being asked to remember them again.

Vestal Campus Courtyard Was Built to Hold This Kind of Grief

Tucked into an enclosed space at 4400 Vestal Parkway East, away from the busier stretches of campus, the Binghamton University Memorial Courtyard was built as a place for family, friends, and the university community to sit with what happened. Designed by Michael Radner, the courtyard's images of the 15 alumni lost that day give the space its quiet weight. University officials have said the site was chosen specifically for its separation from campus foot traffic, somewhere grief could have room to breathe. Student reflections on the university's continued efforts to honor 9/11 victims point to how much that separation still matters to people walking past it today.

Over the years, the courtyard has expanded to include bluestone boulders bearing the names of other members of the university community who have died, added at the request of their families.

15 Binghamton University Alumni Killed on September 11

Paul James Battaglia, Class of 2000, grew up in Brooklyn and graduated from Regis High School in Manhattan before finishing at Binghamton. He worked as a risk consultant for Marsh & McLennan on the 100th floor of Tower One, a job he was proud enough of that he posted photos of his office view of the Brooklyn Bridge on his own website. He was 22.

Bruce Douglas Boehm, known to friends as "Chappy," graduated from Binghamton with a literature degree in 1974. He became a government agencies broker at Cantor Fitzgerald, working on the 104th floor of the North Tower. September 11 was also his 19th wedding anniversary. He was 49 and left behind his wife, Irene, and two daughters.

Joseph D. Dickey Jr., who earned his MBA from Binghamton in 1976, became a managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald. He lived in Manhasset and was 50 years old, working inside One World Trade Center when the tower was struck.

Marina Gertsberg, known as "Mishka," left Odesa, Ukraine, with her family at age 4 and grew up in Brooklyn, attending Stuyvesant High School before graduating from Binghamton in 1997 with a degree in finance and accounting. She had started a new position in Cantor Fitzgerald's accounting department just one week before the attacks and was preparing to buy her first apartment. She was 25.

Jeffrey Grant Goldflam, a 1975 Binghamton graduate, built a career at Cantor Fitzgerald that carried him to managing director and chief financial officer. He lived in Melville and was 48 years old.

Lt. Geoffrey E. Guja, a 1976 Binghamton graduate, became a lieutenant with the Fire Department of New York, assigned to Battalion 43. He lived in Lindenhurst. He was 47 when he responded to the World Trade Center on September 11 and did not come home.

Michael Horn, a graduate of Chaminade High School who finished at Binghamton in 1996, worked as a software support technician for Cantor Fitzgerald. He lived in Lynbrook. He was only 27.

Stephen James Lauria completed his MBA at Binghamton in 1987 and worked as a project manager for Marsh & McLennan. He lived in Manhattan and was 39.

Steven Lillianthal, known as "Barney," graduated from Binghamton in 1986 and worked as a bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald. He lived in Millburn, New Jersey, with his wife and two young children. Friends remembered his love of golf and sports. He was 38.

Andrew Rosenblum, a 1978 Binghamton graduate, became a vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald. He lived in Rockville Center and was 45. A scholarship at Binghamton now carries his name.

Jon Schlissel, a 1972 Binghamton graduate, worked as a mediator for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. He lived in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was 51.

Kenneth Simon, known as "Kenny," graduated from North Rockland High School before earning his Binghamton degree in 1989. He worked as an equities trader for Cantor Fitzgerald and lived in Secaucus, New Jersey. Family remembered his love of juggling, volleyball, and roller coasters. He was 34.

Jennifer Wong, called "Fa-Fa" by loved ones, grew up in Whitestone, Queens, deeply involved in Chinatown's Chinese Evangel Mission Church, where she taught Sunday school and started a Christian youth group while at Binghamton. She graduated in 1997 with a business management degree and worked as a risk management analyst for Marsh & McLennan on the 96th floor of Tower One. She was 26.

Julie Lynne Zipper, a 1979 Binghamton graduate, worked as a product manager for SunGard Trading Systems. She lived in Paramus, New Jersey, and was 44.

Andrew Zucker earned his Binghamton degree in 1995 and worked as an associate attorney at the law firm Harris Beach & Wilcox. He lived in Manhattan. He was only 27.

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Vestal Campus Memorial Keeps Growing 25 Years Later

Twenty-five years is long enough that most current Binghamton University students were not alive on September 11, 2001. It is not long enough for the university to stop adding to its memorial. New bluestone boulders are still added at the request of families who lost someone connected to the university, whether or not that loss happened on September 11.