Days, weeks and now months have passed  since the terrible events of September 11.Still,  we continue to receive information about our classmates, friends and family members lost in this epic tragedy. Because we believe it is important to celebrate their lives, Villanova magazine will in this and future issues share what we have learned  with you .

The Villanova University community will always remember them.  

Found Ring Completes a Circle of Life

Bill Kaufman NEWSDAY

NEW YORK ‑ Although the Sept. 11 disaster has caused an 'unimaginable number of horror stories, from it occasionally also come heartening incidents of human kindness.

One such act occurred to Dana Cook of Colts Neck, N.J., whose husband, Dennis Cook, 33, perished with many other employees of Cantor Fitzgerald on the 104th floor of One World Trade Center.

On what would have been the couple's sixth wedding anniver­sary, Oct. 28, a small item was given to Dana Cook by her fa­ther.

"I received a key found by a New York City police officer," 'she explained. "On the key ring, there was our wedding band."

She said her husband was a golfer and would place the wed­ding band on his key ring dur­ing a game to gain a more com­fortable grip on his clubs.

"The officer was able to trace it because my husband also had one of those little supermarket discount tags with a bar code attached to the key ring," she said.

The officer, Richard Conte, who is assigned to the 13th Pre­cinct in Manhattan, worked in a digging‑and‑recovery unit that sifted through items found in the rubble at the trade center site. "I called the officer and thanked him," Dana Cook said.

Conte explained that he sent the key ring with the wedding band to the city property clerk as required. "But it began to bother me knowing it would just be sitting on a shelf," he said. Eventually he obtained permission from his superiors to try to return it, and he tracked down the owner on his own time ‑but not without a significant amount of legwork.

"I found out who Dana's fa­ther was. He worked near the precinct, so I brought it to him personally," Conte said. Her father, Al Palladino, then took it to her on her anniversary.

Dennis Cook, raised in Lan­caster, Pa., was not only a golf­er but also an avid fan of the Eagles, Flyers and Phillies. He met his wife when they attend­ed Villanova University, where he earned a liberal arts degree. He entered the financial world and was a bond salesman for Cantor Fitzgerald, where he worked for six years.

He is survived by two daugh­ters, Sophia, 3, and Lindsay, 6 months. Cook is also survived by his mother, Judith, and brother David, both of Lancast­er, Pa., and brother Patrick, of West Chester Pa.

"Dennis was a great father, a family man, and loving hus­band," Ms wife said. "He looked forward to coming home from work and playing with the kids:"

Michael Gould '94 C&F

Family and a Fast Ride:

Michael E. Gould loved little children, guitars, beautiful women, fast cars and Mountain Dew. He had them all, almost. "You opened his refrig­erator, and there would always be Mountain Dew and leftover pizza," said Jeff Anderson, his stepfa­ther of 21 years.

Mr. Gould, 5‑foot‑11 and 260 pounds of muscle ‑ he was an avid body builder‑ traded equities for the San Francisco branch of Cantor Fitzgerald until last June, when he was transferred to New York. On the West Coast, he roamed highways with his girlfriend, Vanessa Mills, in his silver BMW M5, which was fast "like a rocket ship," Mr. Anderson said.

In his solitary moments, Mr. Gould played guitar; Les Paul was his hero. He had no children of his own, but he was waiting to produce some. In the meantime, he snug­gled with the kids of Ms. Mills's friends.

"But despite his strong, macho appear­ance, he called me every day," said Kathie Anderson, Mr. Gould's mother. "We just had a special connection. He confided in me everything, sometimes even more than I want to know."

From "Portraits of Grief." Copyright 2001 New York Times. Reprinted With Permission

A Friend to All Animals:

Michael Gould '94 C&F had given his mom a wire-haired daschshund for her birthday.  He attentively cared for his Bengal cat, Simba; romped with his family's terriers and black Lab; and had a great appreciation for exotic species.

Because he adored animals, his parents, Kathie and JEff Anderson, chose a special way to honor their youngest son, along with the animal welfare workers now caring for the pets whose owners never returned home on September 11.  The Andersons are selling red-white-and-blue dog collars, with proceeds going to a disaster relief fund, wrote Brian J. Lowney in his Pet Column (November 26, 2001) in the Herald News of Fall River, Mass. For more information, please call (401) 849-5070 (Kathie Anderson's work number).  Memorial donations in Gould's honor may also be made to the ASPCA Animal Disaster Relief Fund in New York. 

Gould was "always loving, deeply caring and full of fun," Lowney wrote.  While at Villanova, during exams, he "often found comfort in a secluded dormitory chapel," according to Lowney. 

Matthew Vianna '00 C&F

Patient and a Good Sport:

Known as Marty to his friends, Matthew Vianna '00 C&F enjoyed fishing and boating, cheering for the New York Yankees and Giants, and visiting the Hampton, NY beaches.  A patient young man, he had many friends who came to him from advice.

He is survived by his parents, Dennis and Marilynda Vianna, and his sister, Christine, a junior at Sacred Heart Academy. 

The Matthew Vianna Memorial Fund hsa been established in his memory; c/o Raymond Fleck, 1205 Franklin Ave., Suite 300, Garden City, NY 11530. 

Corrections Related to Memorial Tributes Published in the Memorial Issue

Additions:

Peter K. Ortale, brother of Catherine Ortale Grimes '81

Tom Crotty, brother of Jim Crotty '83

Richard B. Madden: husband of Maura McIntyre Madden '89 AND son-in-law of Jack McIntyre '59 AND brother-in-law of Patricia McIntyre Wolfe '88. Maura McIntyre Madden’s uncles are J. Richard McEntee '58 and William F.Jones '68.

Tom Jurgens, son of Joseph Jurgens C&F 1974

Timothy Coughlin, brother of Dennis Coughlin '79

Sean P. Lynch,  brother of Michael Lynch '84 &  brother in law of Ann France Lynch '85

Jay Ogren, nephew of Donald Williams '62

Tom Jurgens, son of Joseph Jurgens C&F '74

Corrections:

* Amy Jarret lived in Rhode Island (not Massachusetts)

* Jim Berger was married to Suzanne Torregrossa Berger '85 Nursing. Her alumna status was not indicated in the earlier issue.

* Mark Pilla is NOT the brother-in-law of Jimmy White. But, his sister is Rachel White '91 C&F, '98 JD, '99 LLM and his sister-in-law is Jennifer Turan White A&S '92.

* Mark Manara, the New York Police Officer whose diary appeared in the memorial issue, had his email address incorrectly reported. The correct email is Marcximus@si.rr.com