Charles A. "Chuck" Mauro Jr.

Turning Down Retirement

Charles A. Mauro Jr. had been working for the Aon Corporation on the 92nd floor of the north tower for little more than two months. The surprise to those who knew him was that he was working at all.

In May, Mr. Mauro, who was 65, had taken a buyout from his previous employer, Associated Aviation Underwriters, when it was bought by a British company. He had been asked to stay on, but did not want to commute to Short Hills, N.J., from his home in Staten Island, his wife, Dorothy, said. Retirement beckoned.

"I told him and my husband told him to enjoy his life and not go back to work," his sister, Nancy Sparozic, said. "But he wanted to go back and work with people. Staying home was boring to him. He liked to be with the young ones."

It was not as if Mr. Mauro did not have other interests. A history buff, a voracious reader of newspapers and periodicals, Mr. Mauro was also an avid sports fan. He loved following the Rangers and Knicks, but baseball and football were special; he was a New York Giants season ticket holder for 30 years. Mrs. Mauro said the emblems of the Giants and the Yankees were on his headstone.

One more thing: his life was bracketed by historic events. The day he was born, July 9, 1936, it was 106 degrees in Central Park, a record that stood for 30 years. And then there was Sept. 11, 2001.