A leading spokesman of Sun Microsystems Solaris software, Phil Rosenzweig, 47, was on American Airlines Flight 11 that was crashed into the World Trade Center south tower Tuesday, Sept. 11.
“This has been a tragic event for our country, and has touched all of us at Sun. Our prayers and thoughts are with Phils family and loved ones,” said Scott McNealy, Suns chairman.
Rosenzweigs status as a passenger on the flight was made known to Sun employees in a memo that circulated from McNealy, Suns President Ed Zander and other officers Tuesday afternoon. Rosenzweigs name soon appeared on a partial list of passengers posted by American Airlines Tuesday.
Rosenzweig was married with children, but Sun spokesmen did not know the exact number of immediate family members at the time of the announcement.
The plane on which Rosenzweig was riding was crashed into the World Trade Center tower well above the two floors that Sun leased, the 25th and 26th, on which the company housed 346 employees. The floors were “flexible field offices” with employees who were frequently out on calls and customer sites. The bulk were field engineers and sales and service staff, and all have been accounted for as safe, said David Harrah, a Sun spokesman.
Sun said it was making its Employee Assistance Program available for purposes of crisis or grief counseling. Company officials said they were working to quickly secure alternative space for the 346 employees in the New York area.