Blind Love for His Job
From his older brother Dominic's vantage point, Christopher Ciafardini was "the ultimate stimulus junkie." At the age of 9, his fascination with bicycling inspired him to complete a 100-mile race. Then he quit biking and fixated on comics and becoming a cartoonist. During his weight-lifter phase, he presented his mother with a subscription to Muscle & Fitness magazine one Mother's Day as a way of sharing his hobby du jour; she was thrilled when he outgrew it.
Studying was never a forte until college, when his attention turned to finance. To the family's surprise, Mr. Ciafardini found a passion that stuck and carried him through graduate school at Cornell University into a real-life version of his favorite film, "Wall Street." He and his friends began living out a game called "Who Retires First?"
Last spring, Mr. Ciafardini, 30, joined Fred Alger Management as a financial analyst, and in August was promoted to vice president. He had a closet full of Brooks Brothers suits he could not wait to jump into each weekday morning and had just gotten his first passport, a hint that international finance was his next niche.
"He was one of those typical Wall Street guys who worked 18-hour days and loved it," said Dominic Ciafardini. "It wasn't just a job to him; it was his identity."
Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 18, 2001.
CIAFARDINI-Christopher. Died Tuesday, September 11, 2001 in the tragic destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City. He was 30 years old and a Vice President, Financial Analyst at Fred Alger Management, Inc. He joined Fred Alger Management, located on the 93rd floor of World Trade Center Tower North, in March of this year. Born May 8, 1971, Christopher leaves behind a loving family and many close friends and admiring co-workers. He is survived by his father, Edward, of East Norwich, New York; his mother, Maggie, of New York City; and an older brother, Dominic, also of New York City. Christopher also leaves behind loving grandparents, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. "Christopher was a quiet, deliberate man who had strong opinions and high ideals," Dominic recalls of his brother. "He had a passion for Wall Street, and was so happy to be working high in the sky for Fred Alger Management." Prior to Fred Alger Management, Christopher worked at Merrill-Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Gruntal, and CitiGroup. Christopher attended Oyster Bay High School on Long Island, NY. He graduated with distinction from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1993, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. At Boulder, Christopher was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Golden Key National Honor Society, and Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society in Economics. Christopher also attended the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, where he received a Master of Business Administration in May 1999. Because of his dedication to his educational pursuits, Christopher was awarded a Johnson School merit-based scholarship. He greatly enjoyed his experience there and sought to continue his connection to the university after graduation by joining the Cornell Club in New York City. To honor his affection for Cornell and the Johnson School his family has established a scholarship in his memory. The family requests that in lieu of flowers and other expressions of condolence, contributions be made to: The Christopher Ciafardini Scholarship, care of SC Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, 221 Sage Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853. A Memorial Mass will be held for Christopher on Friday, October 5, at 10:30 AM at St. Thomas More's Church, 65 East 89 St. (between Madison Ave. and Park Ave.), in New York City.
