William Lum Jr.

Partying Heartily
Organizing surprise parties was William Lum Jr.'s specialty. For the 60th birthday of his mother, Grace Lum, for instance, he surprised her with a big dinner party at Windows on the World, the restaurant at the top of the north tower of the trade center. "It was exhilarating," remembers his father, William Sr. "The view was just incredible."

Mr. Lum wanted to introduce the city to his septuagenarian parents, who are both of Chinese descent. "Whenever he got a chance, he would call us and take us to the nice restaurants, Broadway shows and Central Park," Mrs. Lum said. His parents live at his childhood home in Rockland County, and William Jr., 45, had an apartment on the Upper West Side.

Normally at this time of the year, he would start making plans to take his parents to Rockefeller Center to window-shop and see the big tree. "There are times when I walk around and I see things that remind me of Billy," William Sr. said. "My eyes would be filled with tears."

And the World Trade Center, where Mr. Lum worked for Marsh & McLennan, was his favorite building in the city ‹ every time friends would visit from out of town, he would take them to the observation deck.