9/11: Creating James Greenleaf Jr.'s Legacy

He was handsome. He was well-liked. He ran marathons. He had a high-paying job in the most prestigious building in the most prestigious city in the world.

And on Sept. 11, 2001, at the age of 32, it was all gone.

Waterford native James Greenleaf Jr., a St. Bernard graduate, was one of the 2,726 people who died in the terrorist attacks 10 years ago today. He was working as a foreign exchange trader at Carr Futures on the 92^nd floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center.

Greenleaf’s body was never found. But a decade later, his memory lives on through the legacy of his parents and closest friends.

“That was a very difficult time, and to try to turn it into something positive was exactly what James would want us to do,” said Greenleaf’s best friend, David McBride Jr. “We wanted to remember James the way he would have wanted to be remembered, and that was positive.”

The Fund

Shortly after the attacks, McBride, along with some of Greenleaf’s other friends and with support from the Greenleaf family, formed the James A. Greenleaf Jr. Memorial Scholarship fund. Three events were created to raise money for the fund: a 5k race at Ocean Beach on Mother’s Day, an annual golf outing in the late summer and a dinner at Filomena's on the Saturday closest to Greenleaf’s birthday.

In 2002, the group raised $500 for a scholarship for a graduating St. Bernard’s senior. But in 10 years, more than $30,000 has been raised for various scholarships.

“Jim was such a good guy who would bring people together just by the way he was,” McBride said. “And 10 years later, he is still doing that.”

The events are not somber reflections of his death, but instead cheerful remembrances of his life. They are fun, they bring a group of friends together and they do something good, exactly how Greenleaf would want it, fund member Jessica Neumann-Bradley said.

“We have fun at these events,” Neumann-Bradley said. “Jim would wants us to be having fun at these events.”

Also, Greenleaf’s parents, James and Pat Greenleaf, donated a statue of a mother seated by her son, looking through a picture book. The statue, built by Celestial Memorials of Vermont, is in front of the Waterford Community Center.

To donate to the James A Greenleaf Jr. Scholarship Fund, click here.