Booz Allen Holds Memorial Service For Three Employees Who Died In Terrorist Attack
Booz Allen people worldwide mourn the loss of our colleagues, Gerald Fisher, Terence Lynch, and Ernest Willcher who were briefing a client at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, when the terrorist attack occurred.
McLean, VA, September 20, 2001 — Gerald P. Fisher, Terence M. Lynch, and Ernest M.Willcher will be missed but they won't be forgotten.
Their families, friends, and colleagues mourned the men's passing at a memorial service Booz Allen held Thursday afternoon at its McLean, VA headquarters. The three Booz Allen employees died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack at the Pentagon.
"While we can no longer see their smiles or feel their touch, we gather here today to honor them," said Joyce Doria, their boss and a senior vice president at Booz Allen. As Doria spoke, trying to hold back tears, a sea of employees in dark suits listened intently in the firm's main auditorium, many gently sobbing with her. Hundreds of other employees packed the atrium and nearby rooms to watch on television. The service also was telecast live to employees in New York, San Francisco and seven other offices of the 11,000-employee global strategy and technology consulting firm.
"This begins our time of healing as individuals and as an institution," said Francis "Jimmy" Henry, an officer of the firm, as he took the lecturn after Doria. While Henry spoke, three tall white candles sat on a table to his left. One by one, as officers and colleagues came up to share stories about "Geep," Terry, and Ernie, they lighted a candle to commemorate each of their lives.
"Geep," as Gerald P. Fisher was fondly known, was part of the Booz Allen family for 14 years. "He was a trusted advisor to generals and a trusted advisor to his children," said Elliot Rosen, a vice president at Booz Allen. "The only friend Geep didn't have was the one he hadn't met yet."
Terry Lynch, a former Senate aide, was a "rising star in the consulting business," said Jack Mayer, his former boss and a Booz Allen vice president. "He was the kind of person everybody wanted to know. He was always ready to lend a helping hand."
"Ernie represented the best of human nature," said Lloyd Howell, a Booz Allen vice president. "Ernie's intellect and his inquisitive mind were impressive. His ready smile drew us in."
At the time of their deaths, Geep, Terry, and Ernie were meeting with Army Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Maude to discuss a Web-based survivors benefits tool they were working on. At Thursday's service, Reginald Brown, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said the Army just decided to implement the project. "This is eloquent testimony to the contributions these men have made," Brown said. "The work these men have done is visible across the Army.... They leave behind significant accomplishments."
As the terrorist attacks rocked Washington and New York Sept. 11, Booz Allen's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Shrader was in Midtown Manhattan. At the service he talked about frantically trying to reach his wife, Janice, to tell her he was okay. He also talked about how everyone in the firm scrambled that day to confirm the whereabouts and safety of each Booz Allen employee. Late in the day he learned that three employees may have been killed. "That was a devastating blow for the institution, a devastating blow for us as individuals," Dr. Shrader said. "Our hearts have a big hole in them."
At the end of Thursday's service, Booz Allen employees sang "America the Beautiful" and then filed slowly out of the auditorium, following the wives, daughters, sons, and other family of Geep, Terry, and Ernie. Just outside the auditorium, two Booz Allen employees sat at a table collecting money for the Red Cross to help victims of the terrorist attacks. By day's end, employees had stuffed cash and checks totaling $12,000 into the donation box. Each employee who contributed received an American flag or an American flag pin. Booz Allen continues to collect donations for the victims.
Geep's family has requested that donations in his memory be sent to:
American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund
P.O.Box 3724
Washington,DC 20013
Terry's family has requested that donations in his memory be sent to:
Terence M. Lynch Foundation
c/o Ted Lynch
2000 Volley Court
Alexandria, VA 22308
Ernie's family has requested that donations in his memory be sent to:
Ernest M. Willcher Memorial Fund
Jewish Federation of Greater Washington
6101 Montrose Road
Rockville, MD 20852
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