The homecoming celebrations for the class of 1976 will be clouded over this weekend by the knowledge that at least one of their classmates will never again set foot on campus.
Christopher Zarba, a biology major, was aboard American Airlines flight 11 when it crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. He was 47.
The captain of Zarba's flight to Los Angeles was Dracut resident John Ogonowski, who also had close ties to Tufts. Ogonowski, 50, participated in projects at Tufts' Nutrition School.
After the attacks, Tufts alumna Barbara Hoye was watching the local news when she saw Zarba's name flash on her television screen among a list of attack victims. Hoye had spent time with Zarba when they were both at Tufts. "He was kinda cute," she said. "He looked like Paul Simon."
After Zarba graduated, Hoye and him lost contact, but she recognized his name immediately when it appeared on her screen. "I watch the news like everyone else," she said. "He's a 'Z' so he came at the absolute end of the list, and it really just took me breath away. I knew it was him."
Zarba was an accomplished French horn player, and both he and Hoye performed in the concert band. Hoye learned how to play the clarinet from Zarba's father, a music teacher at nearby Waterford High School.
Both avid cyclists, the pair were often seen together biking into Boston or the Mystic Lakes. Oftentimes, they stopped at Zarba's family's house in Medford for a meal. "Chris and I hung out for a good two years," Hoye said. "He was a really good friend from a warm and gentle family."
For Zarba's father, also named Christopher, the loss came at an especially difficult time. His wife had passed away just three months before, at the age of 70.
His son worked for Concord Communications as a project leader where he was known around the office as a soft-spoken hard worker with in-depth technical knowledge. Zarba was travelling to Los Angeles to install the first unit of a health care product he created from scratch.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and to his friends," said Concord chief executive officer Jack Blaeser in a press release. "This is a horrific time for the Zarba family, and we join them in prayer."
Zarba is survived by his wife Sheila and their three-year old son Christopher.
Captain Ogonowski, who joined American Airlines 22 years ago, was neither an alumni nor faculty member at Tufts, but had strong ties to the Nutrition School. He assisted Cambodian immigrant farmers as part of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (NESFP), a University project sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to the Nutrition School's public relations office, Ogonowski was involved with the project from its inception, three years ago.
The USDA's Farm Service Agency asked Ogonowski to make a parcel of land available to Southeast Asian families who wanted to farm. He offered some land on the farm behind his home, creating White Gate, the first all-commercial "mentor farm." There, beginning farmers learned to farm, with Ogonowski overseeing every aspect of the project.
More than 2,500 people attended his funeral, including US senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry.
"How ironic the jets were on airlines named United and American," Jim Ogonowski, the pilot's younger brother, said during the eulogy.
"United Americans standing tall," he said. "That's what John sees today when he looks down ... our spirit stands unbroken. John would be so proud.
"Imagine that - John helping victims of another terror," he said, his voice trailing off.
Ogonowski is survived by his wife, Peggy, and three daughters, aged 16, 14 and 11. Peggy spoke to Tufts Magazine, the University's alumni publication; her story will appear in the upcoming issue.
According the Department of Alumni Relations, no other members of the Tufts community are known to have died in the attacks.
