Pausing to Remember One of Lake Minnetonka's Own on 9/11 Anniversary

Gordon “Gordy” Aamoth was just 32 and working on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s south tower when it was struck by a hijacked passenger jet on 9/11.

Aamoth made a phone call to his mother after the north tower had been hit and told her “she shouldn’t worry because it was the other tower that had been hit and she would see it on TV.”

It was the last time they spoke.

An investment banker at Sandler O’Neill, Aamoth had flown from Minnesota to the firm’s New York headquarters after closing his first major merger deal. He was among the nearly 3,000 people killed in the largest act of terrorism on American soil.

Aamoth was a native of Wayzata and a familiar face around town. He was a standout football and hockey player at The Blake School, which in 2002 dedicated its new football stadium in Aamoth's honor.

Dr. Gordon Aamoth about his son's death during a ceremony in Wayzata last year to commemorate the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Dr. Aamoth visited with his son on Sept. 10, 2011, prior to his leaving for New York.

"We all remember watching television and seeing the second plane go in," he said. "Mary and I knew where he was. For me, his life is a celebration—not a matter of sadness."

Aamoth's parents still live in Wayzata, and his brother, Erik, works for the state of Minnesota.