JOHN P. SALAMONE

On September 11, 2001, John P. Salamone, a broker in preferred stocks for Cantor Fitzgerald, died in the attacks at the World Trade Center.  He worked on the 104th floor of Tower One.  True to his competitive nature, John left his office with a few of his friends and tried valiantly to escape the horror.  While he could not defeat the magnitude of the disaster, there is no doubt that no one tried harder to get home to his family and children.  

John Patrick Salamone was born on January 25, 1964 in Fort Hood, Texas.  He grew up in Fairfield and graduated from West Essex Regional High School where he excelled in the classroom and on the athletic field.  At Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, he earned a business administration degree and later graduated from Fordham University with an MBA degree.  John worked at Shearson Lehman Brothers, Kidder Peabody, and Quick & Reilly before moving to Cantor Fitzgerald in 1998.  

The town of Fairfield was John's home for 26 years.  He later moved to West Caldwell and then for three years resided in North Caldwell with his wife and three young, beautiful children.  John enjoyed nothing as much as spending time with Alex, Aidan, and Anna.  Anna thought of  her father as "Prince Charming".  For all of them, he was the light of their lives. 

John chose soccer as his sport at an early age and quickly developed his skills.  He was a talented soccer player on both the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels.  He was a three year letterman at West Essex and is among the school's best all-time players.   At Oglethorpe, John was captain of the team and was twice named All-District as well as twice selected for the All-South team.  In 2002 he was inducted into the Oglethorpe University Sports Hall of Fame.  Oglethorpe's long time soccer coach called John "the finest soccer player I ever coached".  In October of 2002, the soccer field was named in his honor.  A soccer tournament is held annually at his alma mater to raise funds for the John P. Salamone Endowed Scholarship for students exemplifying his spirit.  

No one loved life, family and friends more than John.  And that love was reciprocated by the more than one thousand people who came to pay their respects at his memorial services.  It was truly a testament to his character.  Most of all everyone remembers his amazing sense of humor, his contagious personality, and his undaunting character.  In any serious situation, he would find the lighter side of it and make you laugh about it.  He could hurt you and make you laugh about that too!  He rarely lost at anything and called you "sucker" to remind you. He was always one of the first ones chosen once the real games started.  These are only a few of the words to describe him:  funny, charming, competitive, athletic, sincere, loving, happy-go  lucky, sarcastic, talented and caring.  What best sums up who John was is this statement by one of his Oglethorpe friends.  "He was the glue to our team and our friendships.  Everyone wanted to be around him. "

John's athletic accomplishments were many, but his most significant accomplishments were the type of person he was, the way he cared for his fellow man, and the love, devotion and loyalty he exhibited to family and friends.  We are saddened by having to endure his loss, yet we are grateful for having been enriched by his presence.  

For his courage and his determination, for his love and his friendship, we will remember and honor him always in our thoughts, and through the John P. Salamone Memorial Foundation.