Editor's note: Here is a message that Ruth and Bob Butler, who operate the Sea Trekin' helmet-dive activity at the Coral World Marine Park, recently e-mailed to friends and family after efforts to find their son in New York failed. Ruth, who wrote the letter, also is Coral World's public relations director. They agreed to allow the Source to publish it.
Dear Friends,
Butler and I have returned to St. Thomas from New York. Someone like me, who lived there my whole life, still finds it a real small town, full of good people willing to help us in this horror movie.
Our sons Jason and Jonathan and Christian's father-in-law Peter and brother-in law Dennis spent days looking for Christian in triage and medical centers. We looked at every "in" we had in New York and were able to find many. Jason and Jon were allowed to look at the living "John Doe's" — alive but unidentifiable.
Christian's father-in-law is a famous architect whom I asked for the reality of the situation. He said I didn't want to know the truth. I'm just an old reporter who looked at the pictures and figured out that our boy was gone quickly in the world's worst immolation. He leaves the most beautiful wife, Jane, and three children: Max, 8, Morgan, 5, and Samuel, 3.
We will be flying back to New York on Monday for a celebration of Christian's life on Tuesday. He was an assistant vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald, which had offices on floors 100-105 at the World Trade Center. But that is not who he was. He was a scholar and an athlete who grew a littler fatter to become a community and philanthropic man.
I have spent a lifetime making money on words. They fail me. They are meaningless. For all of you who are a part of our lives, your words mean everything.
God bless us all.
Butler and Ruth
Responses may be e-mailed to source@viaccess.net.

Local artist Yvonne Petersen is revitalizing her place as a local artist with a display of her work at Chase Manhattan Bank’s Golden Rock branch on St. Croix.
A native-born Virgin Islander, Petersen’s work covers the spectrum of island scenes from days gone by to display the mixture of local people, including those of the Rastafarian culture.
Petersen’s natural art talent is evident and through grants from the V.I. Council on the Arts, she received professional art instruction from internationally known artist and watercolorist Jo Tarabula. Most of her original work is not for sale.
"Very few of my original works are privately owned, and I really don’t plan to sell those that I do still have," Petersen said.
However, she is currently seeking funding to reproduce her works on canvas in limited editions. The reproductions will come with certificates of authenticity.
"It would be just like having an original," said Petersen.
To contact Petersen, call 778-1269.

Sept. 23, 2001 – If you're still hankering for chili after this weekend's Chili Cook-Off, then you might want to try what some consider the Caribbean version of this dish — picadillo.
Simply described as beef hash, picadillo is a mixture of ground beef, tomatoes, green pepper, onion and garlic, along with signature flavorings such as pimento-stuffed green olives and raisins. Green beans and/or dried cooked beans such as kidney also may be added. Some recipes call for the fiery punch of added chili peppers; other versions are milder. The ingredients are slowly simmered until they reach a stew-like consistency.
In Puerto Rico, picadillo is used as an ingredient for piñón, a lasagna-like recipe in which the beef mixture is layered between strips of fried ripe plantain. In another variation, Puerto Ricans wrap the meat mixture inside pinwheels of plantain and deep-fry them to make piononos or bundle the meat within a flaky pastry to create empanadas.
In Cuba, picadillo is served topped with a fried egg. In its simplest form, it is enjoyed as an entrée accompanied by plain cooked white rice and a basic side salad. Like Texas-style chili, picadillo enjoys a following of dedicated feasters, no matter how it is prepared and served.
Picadillo
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large green bell pepper, chopped fine
2 large onions, chopped fine
15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef *
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup dry red cooking wine **
12 whole green olives with pimento
1/4 cup raisins
Mash the salt, pepper and garlic together in a mortar until well blended. Pour this mixture, along with the oil, green pepper and onion, into a fry pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onion becomes translucent. Stir in the tomato sauce and let simmer 1 minute. Add the beef and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, wine or juice, olives and raisins. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and mixture is thick. Serves 6.
Nutrition per serving: 215 calories, 12 gms fat (51 percent fat calories), 35 mg cholesterol, 820 mg sodium.
* Ground turkey, ground chicken or vegetarian soy protein chunks can be used in place of beef.
** Apple or grape juice may be substituted for the wine, if desired.

A little of this, a little of that, chopped, cooked and used as layering or stuffing — or served on its own with rice. There you've got this Recipe of the Week, for picadillo.
Sept. 23, 2001 – If you're still hankering for chili after this weekend's Chili Cook-Off, then you might want to try what some consider the Caribbean version of this dish — picadillo.
Simply described as beef hash, picadillo is a mixture of ground beef, tomatoes, green pepper, onion and garlic, along with signature flavorings such as pimento-stuffed green olives and raisins. Green beans and/or dried cooked beans such as kidney also may be added. Some recipes call for the fiery punch of added chili peppers; other versions are milder. The ingredients are slowly simmered until they reach a stew-like consistency.
In Puerto Rico, picadillo is used as an ingredient for piñón, a lasagna-like recipe in which the beef mixture is layered between strips of fried ripe plantain. In another variation, Puerto Ricans wrap the meat mixture inside pinwheels of plantain and deep-fry them to make piononos or bundle the meat within a flaky pastry to create empanadas.
In Cuba, picadillo is served topped with a fried egg. In its simplest form, it is enjoyed as an entrée accompanied by plain cooked white rice and a basic side salad. Like Texas-style chili, picadillo enjoys a following of dedicated feasters, no matter how it is prepared and served.
Picadillo
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large green bell pepper, chopped fine
2 large onions, chopped fine
15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef *
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup dry red cooking wine **
12 whole green olives with pimento
1/4 cup raisins
Mash the salt, pepper and garlic together in a mortar until well blended. Pour this mixture, along with the oil, green pepper and onion, into a fry pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onion becomes translucent. Stir in the tomato sauce and let simmer 1 minute. Add the beef and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, wine or juice, olives and raisins. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and mixture is thick. Serves 6.
Nutrition per serving: 215 calories, 12 gms fat (51 percent fat calories), 35 mg cholesterol, 820 mg sodium.
* Ground turkey, ground chicken or vegetarian soy protein chunks can be used in place of beef.
** Apple or grape juice may be substituted for the wine, if desired.

Sept. 24, 2001 – While top public officials in other tourism-intensive jurisdictions in the nation are calling for budgets revisions to reflect a drastic drop in revenues as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, those in the Virgin Islands have either rejected the need for such changes or have yet to address the issue.
The administration's proposed Fiscal Year 2002 budget goes before the Senate for a final vote Monday and/or Tuesday with the total dollar amount of appropriations virtually unchanged from the $551 million Gov. Charles W. Turnbull submitted on July 17.
Although the money has been moved around, with cuts to some agencies and increases in other areas, the package of 20-some bills as passed by the Finance Committee on Thursday and the Rules Committee on Saturday totals a record $550.9 million — up from $429.6 in the Fiscal Year 2001 budget adopted a year ago.
In Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, the focus is on the need to reduce spending to reflect reduced revenues.
Florida
In Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush said on Thursday that he would call state lawmakers into special session later this fall to re-balance the state's budget. "The writing is on the wall, and we cannot ignore the obvious fact that Florida has been impacted by the tragedies," he said, adding that the government must "come forward with a plan to carry Florida through the worst of any future budget shortfall."
Bush also wants the legislature to consider ways to improve Florida's economy and suggested that state aviation fuel taxes could be spent on incentives to help the airline industry. Based on the slowing national economy, state economists had projected in early September — before the terrorists attacks — that Florida would end its current fiscal year, which runs until next June, with a $265 million deficit.
Small crowds have been reported at the state's theme parks, notably Disney World and other attractions in the Orlando area, and hotel occupancy has dropped sharply.
Bush did not indicate when he would call the special session. The Florida Legislature meets only 60 days a year in regular session. Senate President John McKay said the session should not be until November. "It's going to be very difficult to accurately forecast the amount of cuts that must be made, since no one has ever gone down this path before," McKay said. Support for waiting until better economic indicators are available has bipartisan support among the legislative leadership.
The Associated Press reported on Thursday that Florida is considering a new emphasis on advertising directed at people willing and able to drive to their vacation destinations, rather than fly. Meantime, over the weekend, Gov. Bush said Floridians themselves should consider it their "patriotic duty" to shop, eat out and travel.
Hawaii
In Hawaii, the number of people on Waikiki Beach in front of the Moana Surfrider Hotel "dropped 80 percent last week," the Associated Press reported, and hotel occupancy statewide plummeted from 70 percent to half that. Gov. Ben Cayetano was quoted by the AP in Honolulu on Thursday as saying "As the tourist industry goes, so will the rest of Hawaii's economy."
Cayetano said on Thursday that he will call the state legislature into emergency session in the second week of October. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that he will ask the lawmakers "to approve legislation to use certain state funds to help offset deficits in the state budget and to provide some sort of tax relief to Hawaii residents and businesses."
The newspaper said the initiatives Cayetano has in mind "include possibly lowering the state capital gains tax, which is now at 7.5 percent, as well as using the state's rainy-day fund set aside from part of the nationwide tobacco settlement and the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to offset deficits in the state budget. The governor also wants to extend unemployment benefits to those affected by the economy and find ways to encourage Hawaii investors to keep investing in the islands.
Also, the AP reported that Cayetano said he was waiving airport landing fees to save airlines some $36 million a year.
The Hawaii Legislature is not scheduled to convene in regular session again until next January. The Senate's Republican leaders called early last week for a special session. Leaders in both the Senate and the House said they have already begun reviewing the state budget to see what can be done, with both majority and minority caucuses involved in discussions. House Speaker Calvin Say noted that the lawmakers will "need to work with the business and organized-labor sectors for approval," the Star-Bulletin reported.
Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico, where tourism, while not the greatest source of revenue, nevertheless pumps $2.4 billion into the government coffers and accounts for some 14,000 direct jobs, Gov. Sila Calderon has not called for a revamping of the budget.
However, Caribbean Business reported on Thursday, "Already late for this year, Puerto Rico's brand-new destination campaign will have to be postponed further. The New York area is Puerto Rico tourism's bread and butter. Running beautiful TV ads luring New Yorkers to get on a plane to Puerto Rico this winter might even backfire." The television campaign in key U.S. markets had been scheduled to start on Oct. 15.
Caribbean Business quoted Reinhard Werthner, president of the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association as saying, "Right now it could be a waste of money. We must wait until the country is ready to move on." But it also quoted the P.R. managing director of American Airlines, Enrique Cruz, as saying, "No later than 30 days from now, the island's tourism executives should be ready to launch the destination promotion, full speed ahead."
The Virgin Islands
In submitting his budget in July, Turnbull indicated he was counting on an upswing in the V.I. economy to fund the record expenditures. His fiscal aides told the Senate Finance Committee on Aug. 22 that the territory's economy was headed for full-scale recovery in the coming year, fueled by increased tax collections and millions of dollars in projected and actual private-sector development.
Sens. Lorraine Berry and Emmett Hansen II wrote to the governor after Sept. 11 urging him to rework the budget in light of the drastic drop in tourism and, thus, in the territory's revenues, and Sen. Vargrave Richards said airline cutbacks make a budget review essential. None of them sits on either the Finance or the Rules Committee.
Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, a Finance member, suggested during Thursday's session that a "round-table discussion" on the budget be held "to ward off a possible crisis in the next few months." The reply of Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, committee chair, was that the budget worked out by the committee and the majority bloc over two months was the budget that would go through. "You can't use the disaster to sabotage the budget," she said. "There are means in place to secure the avenues of our economy." Freshman Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel then declared, "Osama bin Laden couldn't stop this budget."
One budget change Hansen introduced and saw to passage was a provision that money in the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund be used exclusively for tourism advertising. It has been a legislative habit in the past to tap the fund to finance the territory's three annual carnival celebrations and to pay for other pet projects.
What the territory's plans were for winter-season advertising before Sept. 11 and what they are now is unknown. Source requests to the Tourism Department for information on these and other matters have gone unanswered for months.
Meanwhile, Hansen has proposed that the government donate $10 million to New York City for the terrorism victims and that the terr itory acquire a part of the federal government's multibillion-dollar airline bailout and use the money to subsidize airfares so as to attract tourists to the Virgin Islands. She also suggested wooing Puerto Rican tourists by offering subsidized ferry and airline service.
The governor has made no public comment on his FY 2002 budget vis a vis the economic impact of the terrorist attacks in the Virgin Islands. Neither he nor Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II, whose office includes the Banking and Insurance and Corporation Divisions, attended a meeting on Friday where the territory's four main business associations presented a plan to stave off economic chaos.
The plan includes deferring payment of gross receipts taxes and WAPA bills for four months and calls for the immediate creation of a Tax Reform Commission that would have 30 days to come up with its own plan.
Nationwide
Caribbean Business cited a report from financial analysts PricewaterhouseCoopers saying that, in the wake of the terrorist attacks, the U.S. hotel industry is facing its worst performance in more than three decades.
The economic impact on the airlines is multi-faceted: the loss of business during the two days that the Federal Aviation Administration grounded civilian flights; sharply reduced passenger loads since regular air service resumed; the cost of increased security; and a possible increase in fuel costs if the United States embarks on military action.
The immediate response of the airlines has been to curtail service and lay off employees by the thousands. Industry analysts say a likely response to come will be increased fares — at the same time that passengers are experiencing increased inconvenience in air travel. Thus, even if potential travelers overcome their current fear of flying, there will be other disincentives for their traveling by air.
For overnight visitors to the Virgin Islands, that's the only way to get here.

Sept. 24, 2001 – While top public officials in other tourism-intensive jurisdictions in the nation are calling for budget revisions to reflect a drastic drop in revenues as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, those in the Virgin Islands have either rejected the need for such changes or have yet to address the issue.
The administration's proposed Fiscal Year 2002 budget goes before the Senate for a final vote Monday and/or Tuesday with the total dollar amount of appropriations virtually unchanged from the $551 million Gov. Charles W. Turnbull submitted on July 17.
Although the money has been moved around, with cuts to some agencies and increases in other areas, the package of 20-some bills as passed by the Finance Committee on Thursday and the Rules Committee on Saturday totals a record $550.9 million — up from $429.6 in the Fiscal Year 2001 budget adopted a year ago.
In Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, the focus is on the need to reduce spending to reflect reduced revenues.
Florida
In Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush said on Thursday that he would call state lawmakers into special session later this fall to re-balance the state's budget. "The writing is on the wall, and we cannot ignore the obvious fact that Florida has been impacted by the tragedies," he said, adding that the government must "come forward with a plan to carry Florida through the worst of any future budget shortfall."
Bush also wants the legislature to consider ways to improve Florida's economy and suggested that state aviation fuel taxes could be spent on incentives to help the airline industry. Based on the slowing national economy, state economists had projected in early September — before the terrorists attacks — that Florida would end its current fiscal year, which runs until next June, with a $265 million deficit.
Small crowds have been reported at the state's theme parks, notably Disney World and other attractions in the Orlando area, and hotel occupancy has dropped sharply.
Bush did not indicate when he would call the special session. The Florida Legislature meets only 60 days a year in regular session. Senate President John McKay said the session should not be until November. "It's going to be very difficult to accurately forecast the amount of cuts that must be made, since no one has ever gone down this path before," McKay said. Support for waiting until better economic indicators are available has bipartisan support among the legislative leadership.
The Associated Press reported on Thursday that Florida is considering a new emphasis on advertising directed at people willing and able to drive to their vacation destinations, rather than fly. Meantime, over the weekend, Gov. Bush said Floridians themselves should consider it their "patriotic duty" to shop, eat out and travel.
Hawaii
In Hawaii, the number of people on Waikiki Beach in front of the Moana Surfrider Hotel "dropped 80 percent last week," the Associated Press reported, and hotel occupancy statewide plummeted from 70 percent to half that. Gov. Ben Cayetano was quoted by the AP in Honolulu on Thursday as saying "As the tourist industry goes, so will the rest of Hawaii's economy."
Cayetano said on Thursday that he will call the state legislature into emergency session in the second week of October. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that he will ask the lawmakers "to approve legislation to use certain state funds to help offset deficits in the state budget and to provide some sort of tax relief to Hawaii residents and businesses."
The newspaper said the initiatives Cayetano has in mind "include possibly lowering the state capital gains tax, which is now at 7.5 percent, as well as using the state's rainy-day fund set aside from part of the nationwide tobacco settlement and the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to offset deficits in the state budget. The governor also wants to extend unemployment benefits to those affected by the economy and find ways to encourage Hawaii investors to keep investing in the islands.
Also, the AP reported that Cayetano said he was waiving airport landing fees to save airlines some $36 million a year.
The Hawaii Legislature is not scheduled to convene in regular session again until next January. The Senate's Republican leaders called early last week for a special session. Leaders in both the Senate and the House said they have already begun reviewing the state budget to see what can be done, with both majority and minority caucuses involved in discussions. House Speaker Calvin Say noted that the lawmakers will "need to work with the business and organized-labor sectors for approval," the Star-Bulletin reported.
Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico, where tourism, while not the greatest source of revenue, nevertheless pumps $2.4 billion into the government coffers and accounts for some 14,000 direct jobs, Gov. Sila Calderon has not called for a revamping of the budget.
However, Caribbean Business reported on Thursday, "Already late for this year, Puerto Rico's brand-new destination campaign will have to be postponed further. The New York area is Puerto Rico tourism's bread and butter. Running beautiful TV ads luring New Yorkers to get on a plane to Puerto Rico this winter might even backfire." The television campaign in key U.S. markets had been scheduled to start on Oct. 15.
Caribbean Business quoted Reinhard Werthner, president of the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association as saying, "Right now it could be a waste of money. We must wait until the country is ready to move on." But it also quoted the P.R. managing director of American Airlines, Enrique Cruz, as saying, "No later than 30 days from now, the island's tourism executives should be ready to launch the destination promotion, full speed ahead."
The Virgin Islands
In submitting his budget in July, Turnbull indicated he was counting on an upswing in the V.I. economy to fund the record expenditures. His fiscal aides told the Senate Finance Committee on Aug. 22 that the territory's economy was headed for full-scale recovery in the coming year, fueled by increased tax collections and millions of dollars in projected and actual private-sector development.
Sens. Lorraine Berry and Emmett Hansen II wrote to the governor after Sept. 11 urging him to rework the budget in light of the drastic drop in tourism and, thus, in the territory's revenues, and Sen. Vargrave Richards said airline cutbacks make a budget review essential. None of them sits on either the Finance or the Rules Committee.
Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, a Finance member, suggested during Thursday's session that a "round-table discussion" on the budget be held "to ward off a possible crisis in the next few months." The reply of Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, committee chair, was that the budget worked out by the committee and the majority bloc over two months was the budget that would go through. "You can't use the disaster to sabotage the budget," she said. "There are means in place to secure the avenues of our economy." Freshman Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel then declared, "Osama bin Laden couldn't stop this budget."
One budget change Hansen introduced and saw to passage was a provision that money in the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund be used exclusively for tourism advertising. It has been a legislative habit in the past to tap the fund to finance the territory's three annual carnival celebrations and to pay for other pet projects.
What the territory's plans were for winter-season advertising before Sept. 11 and what they are now is unknown. Source requests to the Tourism Department for information on these and other matters have gone unanswered for months.
Meanwhile, Hansen has proposed that the government donate $10 million to New York City for the terrorism victims and that the terri tory acquire a part of the federal government's multibillion-dollar airline bailout and use the money to subsidize airfares so as to attract tourists to the Virgin Islands. She also suggested wooing Puerto Rican tourists by offering subsidized ferry and airline service.
The governor has made no public comment on his FY 2002 budget vis a vis the economic impact of the terrorist attacks in the Virgin Islands. Neither he nor Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II, whose office includes the Banking and Insurance and Corporation Divisions, attended a meeting on Friday where the territory's four main business associations presented a plan to stave off economic chaos.
The plan includes deferring payment of gross receipts taxes and WAPA bills for four months and calls for the immediate creation of a Tax Reform Commission that would have 30 days to come up with its own plan.
Nationwide
Caribbean Business cited a report from financial analysts PricewaterhouseCoopers saying that, in the wake of the terrorist attacks, the U.S. hotel industry is facing its worst performance in more than three decades.
The economic impact on the airlines is multi-faceted: the loss of business during the two days that the Federal Aviation Administration grounded civilian flights; sharply reduced passenger loads since regular air service resumed; the cost of increased security; and a possible increase in fuel costs if the United States embarks on military action.
The immediate response of the airlines has been to curtail service and lay off employees by the thousands. Industry analysts say a likely response to come will be increased fares — at the same time that passengers are experiencing increased inconvenience in air travel. Thus, even if potential travelers overcome their current fear of flying, there will be other disincentives for their traveling by air.
For overnight visitors to the Virgin Islands, that's the only way to get here.

Sept. 23, 2001 – As hundreds of people partied at the Texas Chili Cook-Off on Sapphire Beach Sunday afternoon, construction company owner Edward O'Brien fell to his death after parachuting from a plane overhead, a traditional part of the festivities.
Family friend Kevin Smith said as O'Brien was descending toward the beach shortly before 2 p.m., he "made a short turn and hit the ground too hard."
"I was right here when I heard people clapping, and I saw him coming down," Larry Greaux said on the beach later Sunday afternoon. "When he came over here, he pulled the chute lines — and instead of making the spin to go over there [he gestured], he found dead air and fell straight down out of the sky from 40 feet up."
According to several witnesses, as O'Brien was descending, he called out to people on the beach, telling them to get out of the way. It appeared that he may have tried to change direction to avoid hitting those on the sand below.
Observers said that O'Brien landed hard on the western end of the beach, the opposite end from the main chili festival activities, and then did not move.
Greaux said O'Brien "never moved or spoke" after hitting the ground. He recalled that he had seen the veteran parachutist land once before, safely, at an event sponsored by the Northside Sportfishing Club of Hull Bay.
At least four Emergency Medical Services technicians had been stationed at the beach on a standby basis since Sunday morning for the 17th annual cook-off and beach party. The event traditionally draws a crowd of several thousand people.
Told of the accident by Sapphire Beach Resort personnel, EMS personnel responded immediately to the western end of Sapphire Beach adjacent to the Crystal Cove condominiums. Carmen Wheatley, an emergency medical technician, said as the EMT's arrived, "at least one off-duty physician identified himself" at O'Brien's side.
According to paramedic supervisor Eva Donovan, "We began rendering emergency care," including continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An ambulance arrived by 2:15 p.m. and transported O'Brien to Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Around 4 p.m., an emergency room staff member said the administrator on call had directed her to say the case had been turned over to the medical examiner. She could give no further information.
O'Brien, whose love of parachuting was well known, had become a fixture at the annual Chili Cook-Offs, literally dropping in as one of the attractions, along with the chili-tasting, cold drinks, musical entertainment and games that are all a part of the festivities to raise funds for local service agencies.
Another witness to the accident, local pilot Paul Wikander, gave a similar account of what happened Sunday. He, too, said O'Brien was an experienced parachutist and added that the two of them had been friends for 30 years.
Dennis Murphy, a perennial cook-off competitor, said another participant came by his booth around 4 p.m. and said he had learned via a telephone call to the hospital that O'Brien had died. "It's a terrible shock," Murphy said, adding that one of his daughters and O'Brien's daughter "have grown up together."
O'Brien, the owner of O'Brien Construction Co. in Anna's Retreat, was a 35-year resident of St. Thomas. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, and their daughter, Kelly. He was 64.
"Eddie loved life," Kevin Smith said of his friend. "He was doing what he loved to do."

Sept. 23, 2001 — A 27-year-old inmate was fatally stabbed Saturday at the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility on St. Croix.
Miguel Lebron, of St. Croix, died after being stabbed in his cell by at least one other inmate wielding a homemade weapon, Horace Magras, Corrections Bureau director, said Sunday. Lebron was pronounced dead on arrival at about 12:45 p.m. at Juan Luis Hospital. Magras said prison authorities have a suspect and believe other inmates were involved, as well.
Lebron was housed in the minimum-security section of the prison and was doing time for aggravated child abuse. Magras could not immediately say how much time remained on his sentence.
The last inmate murder at Golden Grove was around 1990, Magras said.
"This is a very tragic incident," Magras said. "We try to keep a handle on things, but prisons are inherently dangerous places, not just here but throughout the nation. That doesn’t justify it, but the staff does an excellent job keeping these incidents down to a minimum."
The Police Department and the V.I. Justice Department’s Special Investigations Division are investigating the crime.

Sept. 22, 2001 – As the territory's economy continues to worsen in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the mainland, leaders of the territory's chambers of commerce and hotel associations met Friday with government officials to formulate a plan to stem the continuing downslide in tourism arrivals.
They presented a collectively worked-out plan that calls for, among other things:
– Deferred payment of gross receipts taxes and Water and Power Authority bills for four months.
– Free vacations for 500 New York and Washington emergency rescue workers, a move intended to generate positive public relations as well as thank those personnel.
– A campaign to market the territory as a friendly destination under the American flag.
– Lobbying to get the nation's airlines to restore flights to the Virgin Islands before they resume interrupted international service and to restore the recently slashed cap on travel-agent commissions for domestic ticketing.
– Creation of a Tax Reform Commission that would have 30 days to come up with its own plan.
"We can't go on much longer like this," Richard Doumeng, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, said Saturday. "This has to be close to the bottom."
Wendall Snider, Doumeng's St. Croix counterpart, summed up the situation this way: "If something is not done, we're dead."
Hotel cancellations continue to pour in, both hotel executives said. Last September — traditionally the slowest time of year in the territory — the territory's hotels had a 36 percent occupancy rate, Snider said. At the moment, it stands at 13 percent.
"There are over $4 million in cancellations for October and November," he said, explaining that the figure represents 18,000 room nights.
John deJongh Jr., president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, said retail sales are 25 to 30 percent lower than they were a year ago. He said retail workers are already on shortened summer hours. If there is no improvement in coming weeks, store and restaurant owners may not be able to bump them back up to full time.
DeJongh said he believes the V.I. government can work with the business sector on the actions being proposed. "I don't think there's anything in the plan that bothers them," he said.
He expects the plan to be implemented in the next three to four months.
Dick Doumeng, one of the elder statesmen of the territory's tourism industry and Richard Doumeng's father, said coming back from this blow will be difficult. "You can't market away being frightened to get on a plane," he said.
He predicted that by the winter season, the economy will be on the upswing. "But can we survive for four months? It's scary," he said.
As part of the multipronged plan, the hoteliers want immediate help to keep their doors open for the next four months via the postponed payment of gross receipts tax and WAPA power and water bills. "If they want me to keep my doors open, I need help to keep my lights on," said Richard Doumeng, who manages Bolongo Bay Beach Club and Villas on St. Thomas.
Beyond immediate efforts to cut back on operating costs, the plan calls for a program to entice tourists to the territory. First, the hoteliers hope the airlines will assist them in putting together the 500 free vacation packages for emergency crews that have been working on rescue efforts at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
It also calls for a tourism marketing campaign focusing on the fact that the American flag flies over the Virgin Islands, assuring visitors a friendly and safe environment. Snider, who manages the Hibiscus Beach Hotel on St. Croix, said the campaign would be introduced not immediately, but "at the appropriate time," when Americans are farther along in the recovery process.
The plan also calls for persuading the airlines, which had cut back on flights for the summer as usual, to increase the number of flights for season. It envisions the development of air/land packages aimed at markets with direct flights to the territory.
Marketing of the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Women's Basketball Tournament, scheduled for Nov. 18-26, also is on the agenda.
On the national level, the plan asks that the $15 billion airline bailout package passed this week by Congress be tied to restoring flights to the territory before international flights resume. It also calls for reinstating the $50 cap on airline ticket commissions to travel agents for domestic flights, which include the Virgin Islands. The airline industry chopped the cap to $20 last month in a cost-saving move. Local hoteliers noted that the mainland focus aspects will need the support of Delegate Donna Christian Christensen.
Locally, the proposal calls for legislation to require that the government and its agencies as well as companies receiving Economic Development Commission benefits purchase all goods and services locally.
The plan also calls for the EDC immediately to complete the processing of the more than 30 applications already approved so the approved new companies can open up shop. And it calls for implementation of a recently announced long-term operating agreement with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association which would strengthen the cruise industry's commitment to the territory.
Business leaders also ask that a Tax Reform Commission be created and be given the task of coming up with a tax reform plan within 30 days. The plan calls for release of funding for capital improvement projects. And it calls for increased security via a more visible police presence, enforcement of traffic and parking laws, implementation of caller ID across the territory, and an ongoing review of air and seaport security procedures.
The government's representatives brought a few plans of their own to the table. They included:
– Expediting capital projects on the books and speeding up those capital projects under way.
– Identifying what it can do to help private-sector projects get under way or move to completion.
– Establishing retraining programs for unemployed workers.
The government representatives said they would come up with ideas to increase air and cruise-ship passenger arrivals. They said they expect to accelerate approval of EDC benefits for new businesses and to wrap up plans for a UVI Research Park. And, they said, the government wants ongoing communication between the public and private sectors.
Sept. 22, 2001 – As the territory's economy continues to worsen in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the mainland, leaders of the territory's chambers of commerce and hotel associations met Friday with government officials to formulate a plan to stem the continuing downslide in tourism arrivals.
They presented a collectively worked-out plan that calls for, among other things:
– Deferred payment of gross receipts taxes and Water and Power Authority bills for four months.
– Free vacations for 500 New York and Washington emergency rescue workers, a move intended to generate positive public relations as well as thank those personnel.
– A campaign to market the territory as a friendly destination under the American flag.
– Lobbying to get the nation's airlines to restore flights to the Virgin Islands before they resume interrupted international service and to restore the recently slashed cap on travel-agent commissions for domestic ticketing.
– Creation of a Tax Reform Commission that would have 30 days to come up with its own plan.
"We can't go on much longer like this," Richard Doumeng, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, said Saturday. "This has to be close to the bottom."
Wendall Snider, Doumeng's St. Croix counterpart, summed up the situation this way: "If something is not done, we're dead."
Hotel cancellations continue to pour in, both hotel executives s aid. Last September — traditionally the slowest time of year in the territory — the territory's hotels had a 36 percent occupancy rate, Snider said. At the moment, it stands at 13 percent.
"There are over $4 million in cancellations for October and November," he said, explaining that the figure represents 18,000 room nights.
John deJongh Jr., president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, said retail sales are 25 to 30 percent lower than they were a year ago. He said retail workers are already on shortened summer hours. If there is no improvement in coming weeks, store and restaurant owners may not be able to bump them back up to full time.
DeJongh said he believes the V.I. government can work with the business sector on the actions being proposed. "I don't think there's anything in the plan that bothers them," he said.
He expects the plan to be implemented in the next three to four months.
Dick Doumeng, one of the elder statesmen of the territory's tourism industry and Richard Doumeng's father, said coming back from this blow will be difficult. "You can't market away being frightened to get on a plane," he said.
He predicted that by the winter season, the economy will be on the upswing. "But can we survive for four months? It's scary," he said.
As part of the multipronged plan, the hoteliers want immediate help to keep their doors open for the next four months via the postponed payment of gross receipts tax and WAPA power and water bills. "If they want me to keep my doors open, I need help to keep my lights on," said Richard Doumeng, who manages Bolongo Bay Beach Club and Villas on St. Thomas.
Beyond immediate efforts to cut back on operating costs, the plan calls for a program to entice tourists to the territory. First, the hoteliers hope the airlines will assist them in putting together the 500 free vacation packages for emergency crews that have been working on rescue efforts at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
It also calls for a tourism marketing campaign focusing on the fact that the American flag flies over the Virgin Islands, assuring visitors a friendly and safe environment. Snider, who manages the Hibiscus Beach Hotel on St. Croix, said the campaign would be introduced not immediately, but "at the appropriate time," when Americans are farther along in the recovery process.
The plan also calls for persuading the airlines, which had cut back on flights for the summer as usual, to increase the number of flights for season. It envisions the development of air/land packages aimed at markets with direct flights to the territory.
Marketing of the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Women's Basketball Tournament, scheduled for Nov. 18-26, also is on the agenda.
On the national level, the plan asks that the $15 billion airline bailout package passed this week by Congress be tied to restoring flights to the territory before international flights resume. It also calls for reinstating the $50 cap on airline ticket commissions to travel agents for domestic flights, which include the Virgin Islands. The airline industry chopped the cap to $20 last month in a cost-saving move. Local hoteliers noted that the mainland focus aspects will need the support of Delegate Donna Christian Christensen.
Locally, the proposal calls for legislation to require that the government and its agencies as well as companies receiving Economic Development Commission benefits purchase all goods and services locally.
The plan also calls for the EDC immediately to complete the processing of the more than 30 applications already approved so the approved new companies can open up shop. And it calls for implementation of a recently announced long-term operating agreement with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association which would strengthen the cruise industry's commitment to the territory.
Business leaders also ask that a Tax Reform Commission be created and be given the task of coming up with a tax reform plan within 30 days. The plan calls for release of funding for capital improvement projects. And it calls for increased security via a more visible police presence, enforcement of traffic and parking laws, implementation of caller ID across the territory, and an ongoing review of air and seaport security procedures.
The government's representatives brought a few plans of their own to the table. They included:
– Expediting capital projects on the books and speeding up those capital projects under way.
– Identifying what it can do to help private-sector projects get under way or move to completion.
– Establishing retraining programs for unemployed workers.
The government representatives said they would come up with ideas to increase air and cruise-ship passenger arrivals. They said they expect to accelerate approval of EDC benefits for new businesses and to wrap up plans for a UVI Research Park. And, they said, the government wants ongoing communication between the public and private sectors.

Sept. 22, 2001 – As the territory's economy continues to worsen in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the mainland, leaders of the territory's chambers of commerce and hotel associations met Friday with government officials to formulate a plan to stem the continuing downslide in tourism arrivals.
They presented a collectively worked-out plan that calls for, among other things:
– Deferred payment of gross receipts taxes and Water and Power Authority bills for four months.
– Free vacations for 500 New York and Washington emergency rescue workers, a move intended to generate positive public relations as well as thank those personnel.
– A campaign to market the territory as a friendly destination under the American flag.
– Lobbying to get the nation's airlines to restore flights to the Virgin Islands before they resume interrupted international service and to restore the recently slashed cap on travel-agent commissions for domestic ticketing.
– Creation of a Tax Reform Commission that would have 30 days to come up with its own plan.
"We can't go on much longer like this," Richard Doumeng, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, said Saturday. "This has to be close to the bottom."
Wendall Snider, Doumeng's St. Croix counterpart, summed up the situation this way: "If something is not done, we're dead."
Hotel cancellations continue to pour in, both hotel executives said. Last September — traditionally the slowest time of year in the territory — the territory's hotels had a 36 percent occupancy rate, Snider said. At the moment, it stands at 13 percent.
"There are over $4 million in cancellations for October and November," he said, explaining that the figure represents 18,000 room nights.
John deJongh Jr., president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, said retail sales are 25 to 30 percent lower than they were a year ago. He said retail workers are already on shortened summer hours. If there is no improvement in coming weeks, store and restaurant owners may not be able to bump them back up to full time.
DeJongh said he believes the V.I. government can work with the business sector on the actions being proposed. "I don't think there's anything in the plan that bothers them," he said.
He expects the plan to be implemented in the next three to four months.
Dick Doumeng, one of the elder statesmen of the territory's tourism industry and Richard Doumeng's father, said coming back from this blow will be difficult. "You can't market away being frightened to get on a plane," he said.
He predicted that by the winter season, the economy will be on the upswing. "But can we survive for four months? It's scary," he said.
As part of the multipronged plan, the hoteliers want immediate help to keep their doors open for the next four months via the postponed payment of gross receipts tax and WAPA power and water bills. "If they want me to keep my doors open, I need help to keep my lights on," said Richard Doumeng, who manages Bolongo Bay Beach Club and Villas on St. Thomas.
Beyond immediate efforts to cut back on operating costs, the plan calls for a program to entice tourists to the territory. First, the hoteliers hope the airlines will assist them in putting together the 500 free vacation packages for emergency crews that have been working on rescue efforts at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
It also calls for a tourism marketing campaign focusing on the fact that the American flag flies over the Virgin Islands, assuring visitors a friendly and safe environment. Snider, who manages the Hibiscus Beach Hotel on St. Croix, said the campaign would be introduced not immediately, but "at the appropriate time," when Americans are farther along in the recovery process.
The plan also calls for persuading the airlines, which had cut back on flights for the summer as usual, to increase the number of flights for season. It envisions the development of air/land packages aimed at markets with direct flights to the territory.
Marketing of the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Women's Basketball Tournament, scheduled for Nov. 18-26, also is on the agenda.
On the national level, the plan asks that the $15 billion airline bailout package passed this week by Congress be tied to restoring flights to the territory before international flights resume. It also calls for reinstating the $50 cap on airline ticket commissions to travel agents for domestic flights, which include the Virgin Islands. The airline industry chopped the cap to $20 last month in a cost-saving move. Local hoteliers noted that the mainland focus aspects will need the support of Delegate Donna Christian Christensen.
Locally, the proposal calls for legislation to require that the government and its agencies as well as companies receiving Economic Development Commission benefits purchase all goods and services locally.
The plan also calls for the EDC immediately to complete the processing of the more than 30 applications already approved so the approved new companies can open up shop. And it calls for implementation of a recently announced long-term operating agreement with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association which would strengthen the cruise industry's commitment to the territory.
Business leaders also ask that a Tax Reform Commission be created and be given the task of coming up with a tax reform plan within 30 days. The plan calls for release of funding for capital improvement projects. And it calls for increased security via a more visible police presence, enforcement of traffic and parking laws, implementation of caller ID across the territory, and an ongoing review of air and seaport security procedures.
The government's representatives brought a few plans of their own to the table. They included:
– Expediting capital projects on the books and speeding up those capital projects under way.
– Identifying what it can do to help private-sector projects get under way or move to completion.
– Establishing retraining programs for unemployed workers.
The government representatives said they would come up with ideas to increase air and cruise-ship passenger arrivals. They said they expect to accelerate approval of EDC benefits for new businesses and to wrap up plans for a UVI Research Park. And, they said, the government wants ongoing communication between the public and private sectors.