Catherine Fairfax MacRae
July 31, 1978 – September 11, 2001
Catherine Fairfax MacRae, known as Cat to her friends and family, was born on July 31, 1978 in New York City. Cameron F. MacRae and Ann B. MacRae lovingly raised Cat along with her younger sister Annie.
From 1983-1996, Cat attended the Brearley School in New York City where she was one of the top students in her class. Cat was editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, head tour guide, Co-Chair of the Curriculum Committee and a National Merit Finalist. In athletics, she captained the varsity squash and tennis teams while also playing on the varsity field hockey team. She was named MVP of all three teams.
Though Cat had a thirst for knowledge across many disciplines, she quickly developed a keen grasp of mathematics. Cat received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Frances Arnold Mathematics Prize upon graduating from Brearley in June of 1996. Cat was considered particularly extraordinary because she excelled equally in English. Indeed, Brearley recently recognized Cat as one of its most uniquely accomplished students in school history by establishing in her honor a major academic award for that student who excelled in both mathematics and English.
At Princeton, Cat continued to devote herself to academics, athletics and community service. She spent her afternoons playing for the squash team and tutoring underprivileged adolescents in Trenton, New Jersey. She was a member of the Ivy Club and Pi Beta Phi, for which she served as treasurer. Cat concentrated in advanced mathematics and economics and wrote her senior thesis on the accounting of business combinations. In addition to majoring in economics, she attained a certificate in finance. Cat graduated with high honors in the Class of 2000.
After graduation, Cat worked for Goldman Sachs in equity research before she moved to Fred Alger Management, the prestigious investment firm located on the 93rd floor of World Trade Center One. It was rare for Alger to hire a recent college graduate, but hard work and ingenuity put her on a clear path to success at Alger. Within nine months, she had passed Level One of the Chartered Financial Analyst Exam (placing in the top percentile attainable) and had become a quick study in technology and telecommunications. Soon thereafter, Alger doubled her salary and made it clear that if she so desired, she would rise quickly to management positions in the firm. This was hardly surprising to the people who knew Cat well.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Cat arrived to work early as she always had. At 8:46 a.m., terrorists murdered Cat and all 34 of her colleagues in the office when they hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and flew it into the upper floors of World Trade Center One. She had recently turned 23 years old. On October 6, 2001, Cat’s family and friends gathered at the St. Andrew’s Dune Church in Southampton, Long Island to remember Cat’s boundless love and generosity. She will always be remembered as the caring daughter and sister who injected love and humor into every life she came across. Cat was an avid swimmer and tennis player and was happiest at the beach, where she took long walks with her loved ones.
We miss Cat dearly.