Lynn Pescherine, convention sales manager at the Hilton New York, lost her husband Michael on September 11. He was vice president of Fixed Income Sales at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a bond trading company, and he worked on the 89th floor of Tower Two of the World Trade Center.
Lynn and Michael had been married for two years. She is expecting a baby boy on March 2, to be named Ryan Michael. Although they chose not to know the sex of the baby before Michael was killed, Lynn felt she needed to know after he was gone. Michael was convinced that it was a boy.
“When I found out on October 19th that he was correct, I felt as if he were looking over my shoulder telling me ‘I told you so,’” says Lynn.
“I hope that I am able to raise our son to become the man his father was, and that he will embody all that I loved about Michael. To me, that will be the best way to honor Michael and ensure that the best parts of him never die.”
HelmsBriscoe, a site selection company, which names and collects donations for a charity each year at its Annual Business Conference, selected Ryan as the recipient of this year's fund with a contribution toward his future educational needs. Lynn and her mother traveled to the ABC in Orlando in December to accept the donation.
About a month later, at the Professional Convention Management Association annual meeting in Nashville, Lynn's unborn child received a $20,000 scholarship through the Youth Education Fund. Two other youth scholarships were given by PCMA, to the children of the late Joseph Keller, director of guest services at the World Trade Center Marriott. He is survived by his wife, Rose, son Joseph Daniel (2 1/2 years old), and Sydnie Rose (9 months old).
For more information about the funds, contact PCMA at (312) 423-7262 or HelmsBriscoe at (480) 718-1111.