Dean Eberling

According to Thorndike Barnhart Dictionary, a hero is “a person admired for bravery, great deeds, or noble qualities.” My definition of a hero is Dean Eberling. Dean was a great man who was born on May 24, 1957, and died on that tragic day of September 11, 2001. He was born in Westfield, New Jersey, and lived there until he was 21. He then moved to Cranford, New Jersey. When he grew up, he always loved going to the shore and living life to the fullest. One thing he always said was, “Livin' Large.” Dean never stopped thinking of others. When he died, he was saving two women’s lives instead of trying to save his own. That’s just how he was.

Dean Eberling was definitely a man who cared for others. On September 11, he was in the second tower of the World Trade Center that was hit. When the first plane hit, he got many of his coworkers into an elevator. Some of them were his friends, like Russell Keene, Lauren Smith, and Linda Rothemund. When they were on the elevator, it suddenly started falling. Apparently the cable snapped, but the emergency brake went on and the doors only opened a couple of inches. Dean was asking everyone if they were O.K. They waited a couple of minutes and realized that flames were coming up through the elevator. They started trying to open the doors. Dean and one other man helped two women out of the elevator. That is the biggest part of why I admire him. He thought of others before trying to save himself.

Another time Dean showed bravery and selflessness was during his last vacation he had with his wife, Amy, and his children, Cori and Lauren. They were in London and it was about 12:00 P.M. The fire alarm went off and Dean made sure that his family got out of the building. But when his family got out of the building and turned around, Dean wasn’t there. They later found out that he was holding the door for everyone else.

Not only was he a hero for other people, but Dean was also a hero to his family and friends. Every winter, not only would he shovel his own driveway, but he would also often shovel his neighbors'. One winter, Dean’s neighbor came back from Dunkin’ Donuts and asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee. He said, “No, but my wife would like a cup.”

Out of all the places Dean went, he liked the shore the most. When he was young, his family owned a shore house. Dean went there almost every weekend. But when he was seventeen, his father died, so money was tight and they had to sell the shore house. On his 40th birthday, he was overwhelmed with joy when the shore house his family sold went on the market and he bought it! It was definitely a great day for his family.

Dean had many favorite charities that he donated to. One of them was Toys for Tots. He would go around his office asking people to donate to that charity, as well as take the money to the stores and buy the toys. He also donated to the Make a Wish Foundation and the Episcopal Church. But Dean always donated to charity funds for cancer because one of his wife’s friends died of cancer and that was very hard for him.

After Dean’s first year at college, he went to work at a metal shop. After working there awhile, he decided he did not like that kind of work. He went back to school for three more years. He then went back for his MBA at Seton Hall University. He became the # 1 Stock Analyst of the Year! If Dean had not quit his job at the metal shop, he would never have been able to do what he did on 9/11.

Dean is an amazing hero to me. He was generous, considerate, kind, selfless, and a hard worker. He has shown me to never give up, always look on the bright side, be a hard worker, and always try to help others. He has changed my life in so many ways. Anytime I see someone struggling with something, I will try to help them even if I’m having trouble myself. In that way, Dean Eberling’s spirit will live on through me. The memory of Dean Eberling will live on forever in the lives he touched, including mine.