On September 11 2009, 2,996 volunteer bloggers will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.  Each person will pay tribute to a single victim. We will honour them by remembering their lives, and not by remembering their murderers.

I am honoured to remember Brent James Woodall.

~July 20 1970 – Sep 11 2001~

Brent was born in dallas in 1970.  He graduated from La Jolla High School in 1988, and then from the University of California in 1993, graduating as a business major.  He played Single-A baseball for the Chicago Cubs as pitcher, until he suffered a shoulder injury. 

Brent was an equities trader with the investment banking firm Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in NYC.  He was at work on the 89th floor of the south tower when the first plane hit the north tower.   Brent called his parents to let them know that he was fine.  The next time he called his parents was to leave a message on their answering machine to say that his tower had been hit and that he had to get out fast, and that he would call them when he was safe.  Sadly, that call never came.

At the time of his death Brent was married to Tracy, they were married in 2000.  His wife was pregnant, and their daughter was born in April 2002, 7 months after her fathers death.

After a successful ‘Just A Buck’ campaign, Brents family adopted  a beautiful bench in Central park in his honour in 2006.

Brent has been honoured in his hometown with a new clubhouse at his high school, and also the Brent Woodall Award, a scholarship for athletes.  There is a Brent Woodall Memorial Golf Tournament which helps raise money for both projects.

At his old University the Brent Woodall Memorial Scholarship Fund benifits student-atheltes.  His wife has started the Brent Woodall Foundation for Exceptional Children, which helps autistic children.