
Today being the 8th Anniversary of a day we all wished had never happened, I learned of
Project 2,996. A project to honor those lost on 9/11. I knew immediately that I wanted to take part! While I didn't know of anyone personally who perished that day, I know of so many others who did. I felt their pain and shared their grief.
I have spent today coming to know Raymond Rocha from Melrose Mass. I've read the stories of his life, the comments from his community and felt the loss of family and friends. He was the All America kid!
Ray was a 1990 graduate of Melrose High School. An honor student, an athletic and a good friend.
“Ray Lives.”
According to Ray’s mother, Ann, her son would write
those two words wherever he could — typed on unattended computers for
users to find upon their return, scribbled on notebooks and even etched
into wet concrete. Through his friends and family Ray continues to "live."
Rocha played football in high school and at Brown University before
moving to New York City. His number is retired at the Melrose High
football field, and a replica of his jersey was placed in a wall at the
middle school. Rocha wore number 17.
Rocha accomplished much in his too-brief life. After excelling at
Melrose High, he stood out at Brown University academically and
athletically, and eventually took a job with prestigious financial firm
Cantor Fitzgerald as a bond trader, working on the 105th floor of the
World Trade Center’s North Tower.
Above all Ray was a friend ... He once told his friend, Andrea:
"our lives were shaped by each other, through thick and thin--we will always be there for each other, friend."
Rocha memorial scholarships
Those who wish may send donations in Ray Rocha's memory to either of the two scholarship funds:
The Ray Rocha Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Friends of Melrose Football, P.O. Box 1461, Melrose, MA 02176; or The Ray Rocha Scholarship Fund, c/o Melrose High School, 360 Lynn Fells Parkway, Melrose, MA 02176.

