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Standing Tall: A Son Reflects on His Father’s Legacy, 20 Years Later

By Caroline Newman

July 30, 2021

Dan Friedman, pictured bottom right with his twin brother Mike, said their father Andrew was “our rock, our mentor, our coach.” Andrew Friedman, shown here in family photos, was killed on 9/11. (Photos courtesy Dan Friedman)
Dan Friedman, pictured bottom right with his twin brother Mike, said their father Andrew was “our rock, our mentor, our coach.” Andrew Friedman, shown here in family photos, was killed on 9/11. (Photos courtesy Dan Friedman)

Andrew Friedman, his son recalls, was the life of the party, the “linchpin” in the many social circles that spun around him, a man who built close friendships at every stage of life – from his home in Long Island, New York, to his college days at George Washington University, to his work in New York City – and kept up those friendships to form a big, vibrant community.

“People gravitated to him, and together with our mom, he taught us what it means to give back, to pay it forward, enjoy every day to the fullest and make the most out of life,” said Dan Friedman, a 2019 graduate of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. “He was the best dad – our rock, our mentor, our coach.”

When Andrew perished at the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the big, vibrant community he created showed up for his family – his wife, Lisa, and their 11-year-old twin boys, Dan and Mike. Police had to direct traffic for miles around the Long Island synagogue where Andrew’s memorial service was held, as thousands came to mourn and support his family.

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