At six, Welles Crowther’s dad gave him a red bandana to wear, and wear it he did, mostly underneath his sports jerseys. He wore it on the day he died.
Photo courtesy Boston College Athletics
Lacrosse was Welles Crowther’s specialty, and he played collegiately at Boston College. After graduation, he took a job as an equities trader at Sandler O’Neill and Partners in the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
Like his dad, Jefferson, Welles was a volunteer firefighter (photo courtesy WBUR)
He was at his job on September 11, 2001, the day when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower. The first thing he did was call his mom, assuring her that he was okay. Then he looked for survivors, battling the fire and smoke that filled the air.
Along the way, he picked up a young woman and carried her on his back to safety. He also led a group 17 floors down out of harm’s way. Wearing his trademark red bandana, Crowther kept going, returning up the stairs to see if there were any more survivors he could assist.
There, he found Judy Wein, an AON Corporation employee. She was in pain wth a broken arm, cracked ribs, and a punctured lung. He directed her and another group down the stairs, and then repeated what he had been doing, returning to the upper floor to locate and help survivors.
According to survivor accounts, Welles Crowther saved as many as 18 people during the attacks. He was engaged in that task when the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m.
Crowther died that day, but his body wasn’t located until six months later, in March 2002.
Courtesy 9/11 Memorial
Welles Crowther’s story is told in the documentary Man in Red Bandana.
