Melissa Marie Harrington-Hughes

Never in One Place for Long

She so loved fine wine that when she and her fiancé, Sean Hughes, decided to marry, they chose a leafy vineyard in Napa Valley for the wedding. Her name was Melissa Harrington and after the wedding she added her husband's name to hers.

Mrs. Harrington-Hughes was the director of business development for the Slam Dunk Networks in Redwood City, Calif. She came to New York on Sept. 10 to attend a breakfast the next morning at the World Trade Center.

"She liked everything fine," said her father, Robert Harrington. "Loved the opera, loved to travel, loved a bottle of good wine. And professional football. Her favorite team was the Green Bay Packers and her favorite player was Brett Favre."

Mrs. Harrington-Hughes, 31, was so enthusiastic about travel, her father recalled, that she would not come home after spending her junior year of college in Bologna, Italy. She took a job as an au pair in France, spent two months in Paris and then one on the Riviera. "When I called in May to wish her a happy birthday, they told me she had taken off to Africa," Robert Harrington said. "Riding camels in Morocco."

Mrs. Harrington-Hughes was particularly proud of her work in the San Francisco Junior League. "She would want any article written about her to mention the Junior League," said her father. "They were grooming her to be president."

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


Melissa Marie Harrington Hughes, 31, a victim of the World Trade Center on Tuesday, (September 11, 2001). Melissa was born and brought up in West Springfield, MA, she lived in Washington for five years before settling in San Francisco, CA, in 1996. In her professional career she worked in the International Relations Division of the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. as a trade specialist with China. She later worked at the Stanford Research Institute in California where she also specialized in International Relations. More recently she was the Director of Business Development for Slam Dunk Networks in Redwood Shores, CA. She was a graduate of Suffield Academy in Connecticut, she later received a BA from Dickinson College, during which time she also studied abroad in Bologna, Italy. She graduated from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California, and later she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Masters Degree from George Washington University, Washington, DC. She was an international traveler and an active member of the San Francisco, CA, community. Melissa was a member of and marketing director for the San Francisco Junior League. She was active in Spinsters, a professional women's organization. She was a communicant and volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul Church in San Francisco, CA, serving in Young Couple Mentors, an engaged encounter program. Melissa leaves her husband, Sean S. Hughes; her father and mother, Robert J. and Beverly A. (Rzeszutek) Harrington of West Springfield, MA; her brother, Michael J. Harrington of Somerville, MA; her maternal grandmother, Bertha (Gwozdz) Rzeszutek of Chicopee, MA. She was predeceased by her paternal grandparents, James and Louise (Santolini) Harrington; and her maternal grandfather, Michael Rzeszutek the former owner of Mickey's Bike Shop in Chicopee, MA. There will be a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10 a.m., Friday, St. Thomas Church, West Springfield, MA. Burial will follow at St. Thomas Cemetery. Calling hours are Thursday, 3-8 p.m., TOOMEY-O'BRIEN FUNERAL HOME, 1043 Westfield St., West Springfield, MA. The Hughes and Harrington families appreciate the thoughts and prayers for Melissa and Sean that have come from each of you. Your support has greatly helped during this tragic and challenging time. In honor of Melissa, the family has set up a foundation which will give annually to charitable organizations in Melissa's name, the Melissa Harrington Hughes Endowment Fund, c/o Toomey-O'Brien Funeral Home, 1043 Westfield St., W. Springfield, MA 01089, or make contributions to any organization whose efforts are supporting the families and friends of the World Trade Center victims.