Project 2996

Two years ago, I was part of an initiative to honour the 2996 victims of 9/11.

I'm remembering them again today on the seventh anniversary.

David Barkway, 34, Toronto, ON
Managing Director, BMO Nesbitt Burns
Died: World Trade Center

David was a rising star in the Toronto financial world but was not all business. He was known on Bay Street in Toronto for his determination to improve his golf game, his cigars and his practical jokes. Colleagues would return from lunch to find a flashing message on their computer screen that was impossible to delete.

When he wasn't working, David — or Barky, as his friends called him — was on the golf course. So, it's fitting that a patio off the trading floor at BMO Nesbitt Burns,was turned into a putting green named Barky's Way.

He became engaged in 1996 on a ski slope, presenting a diamond ring to Cindy McLennan after they had both taken a spill in the snow. Mrs. Barkway, who was pregnant with the couple's second child (who she named David), accompanied her husband on his final business trip to New York and was on her way to SoHo when the World Trade Center was attacked.

David was was visiting a client atop the World Trade Center's north tower when the first plane hit. He was on the 105th floor when the tragedy took place and sent an electronic message to his office in Toronto for help.

Update: September 11, 2011 Toronto Star tribute.



Bernard Mascarenhas, 54, Newmarket, ON
Chief Information Officer, Marsh Canada
Died: World Trade Center

Bernard was a zealous bridge player, an executive who had risen steadily up the corporate ladder, and a man who liked to take it easy on weekends with his wife and two kids.

Deeply committed to education, Bernard used to make anonymous donations to a number of different charities, in particular to scholarship funds. Among his causes, he would send scholarship donations to his native Pakistan, to assist Roman Catholics, a religious minority in that country. He also believed in giving back to the community. On major holidays, Bernard would drive the family Jeep to the grocery store to pick up donations for the Daily Bread Food Bank, his kids often in tow. He never failed to help people who fell upon hard times.

Bernard was in New York for a meeting on September 11. His work on computer systems at the company was known as particularly innovative and wound up being used not only in Canada but in Marsh offices around the world. "He made sure everything he worked on was a first-class product," said Thomas J. Grimes, managing director at Marsh Canada.

Bernard was survived by his wife, Raynette, and a son and daughter, Jaclyn and Sven.

Vladimir Tomasevic, 36, Etobicoke, ON
Vice President of Software Development, Optus e-Business Solutions
Died: World Trade Center

Vladimir had been working so hard, he hadn't had time to play tennis. And tennis "was his love," says Steven Webster, Tomasevic's boss. A born athlete, he had competed in singles tennis on Yugoslavia's national league as a teen, eventually coaching tennis while he worked on an electrical engineering degree at the University of Belgrade.

While tennis might have been his sporting love, he gave his heart to his wife, Tanja. The couple met while holidaying in Montenegro, fell in love and moved to Canada to start a new life.

Vladimir would find a way to offer a compliment even when a compliment might seem a bit of a stretch. For instance, he always enjoyed Tanja's cooking and for good reason. She cooked well. But like anyone, she had her bad moments. "One time I oversalted some potatoes that I was baking," she said. "He ate them all, even though I couldn't. He even complimented me on the potatoes. My father was there at the time, and he said, 'You are so lucky.' Another time, it was a new recipe and I put in too much hot pepper. It was really hot. He said, 'It's a bit hot but it's good.' He was my best friend and a part of him will always be with me."

This was Vladimir's first trip to New York. He was attending a Risk Waters Group conference on information technology at Windows on the World.

Click here to view tributes by bloggers to the other 9/11 victims.