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Lessons About Fatherhood

hen the phone rang in the middle of a baseball game, Larry Meltzer almost always knew who it was. "Did you see that? I can't believe that pitch," said the familiar voice of his younger brother, Stuart Todd Meltzer.

Then came the click.

"There was no hello, no goodbye, no nothing," Larry Meltzer said of his frequent conversations about sports with his brother, a 32-year-old energy broker at Cantor Fitzgerald. "We didn't need those things. We would talk like five times a day, easy."

Larry and Stuart Meltzer always talked sports. It was what they lived for — the season tickets they had for the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox never went unused as long as they had time for the 5 a.m. drive to Boston, the tailgate parties, the game, then the long drive back to the city.

Until Stuart Meltzer's eldest son, Jacob, was born four years ago, that is. The boy replaced baseball as Stuart's first love. Larry had to start finding someone else to go to games with him.

"I'd say, `Come on, man, let's go to a game,' " Larry said. "But he'd say, `Nah, I've got to spend time with Jake. When you have kids you'll understand.' I think I understand now."

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on September 1, 2002.

Stuart Todd Meltzer, at 32; worked at Cantor Fitzgerald

By Globe Staff, 9/22/2001

Stuart Todd Meltzer of Long Island, N.Y., formerly of Newton, died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11. He was 32.

Mr. Meltzer, an employee of bond-trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald who moved to New York five years ago, graduated in 1986 from The Rivers School in Weston, where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. At graduation he received the Andrew N. Navoni award for leadership, superior sportsmanship, dedication, and competitive excellence in baseball.

Mr. Meltzer spent two years at the University of Michigan, where he played baseball, and later graduated from Trinity College in Hartford.

Mr. Meltzer spent two years in California with the theatrical agency Creative Artists. He moved to New York and worked for Miramax, then switched careers to the energy business. Three months ago, Mr. Meltzer began working for the Cantor Fitzgerald Trade Spark Division, and on the Friday before the terrorist attack he was promoted to head of West Coast Power Management.

"He attained goals that other 32-year-olds just dream of. He was a fabulous person – father, husband, brother, son. I never realized the extent to which he touched people's lives," said his father, Zachary.

When Mr. Meltzer realized he might not make it out of the World Trade Center, he used his cell phone to call his wife, Lisa. He told her: "Honey, something terrible is happening. It's very bad up here. I don't think I'm going to make it. I love you. Take care of the children," his father recounted.

Besides his wife, Mr. Meltzer leaves two sons, Jake and Dylan; his parents, Zachary and Joyce of Centerville; and two brothers, Lawrence of New Jersey and Kenneth of Natick.

A memorial service will be held at Temple Emeth in Brookline on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Editorial Obituary published in THE BOSTON GLOBE on September 22, 2001.