Samuel R. "Sam" Salvo Jr.

A Soft Spot for His Dogs
Sam Salvo loved his Stoli on the rocks and he loved good food. "He was a hefty guy, he could eat a lot," said his daughter, Sue. "He knew the best restaurants, everything."

"Anything he does is the best," Ms. Salvo said with a fond laugh, speaking of her father as if he were still alive.

Mr. Salvo, 59, had reason to feel confident. He had worked his way up from nothing to become a vice president of Aon, the insurance company that had offices on the 105th floor of 2 World Trade Center.

But Mr. Salvo had his soft side, too. He was almost ridiculously fond of his dogs. There was Dallas, the Weimaraner who, when she stood on her hind legs, was nearly 5 feet 10 inches, and then there was the mutt, Amber. The Salvo children are grown: David is 29 and Sue is 27. So on weekends, Mr. Salvo would take the dogs instead of the kids on car rides, and at night he and his wife, Gladys, would let the dogs sleep on the bed. "The two dogs were like his little babies," his daughter said.