In their attempts to find out more about him and obtain his photo, the Museum staff had tried, unsuccessfully, to locate his employment records at Forte Foods, which serviced Cantor Fitzgerald. Eventually, his Romulus High School connection proved to be the missing link: it's what led Llera to Councilwoman Abdo, a retired teacher familiar with the school’s history and records.
When she heard that the Museum was trying to locate Ogletree's picture, she sorted through old yearbooks in the hopes of spotting him. Eventually, she managed to find a black and white photo from his freshman year, and arranged to lend us the yearbook so we could reproduce the image.
Concurrently, an obituary found for Ogletree's wife, who died in 2004, led to his stepdaughter Justine Jones, who shared her memories of him with our staff. She recalled him as a loving man who played an important role in her life, and a skillful electronics repairman. Most importantly, she confirmed that the youthful yearbook photo was indeed Ogletree, whose appearance remained largely unchanged over the years.
This afternoon, the 9/11 Memorial Museum officially added Ogletree's photo to our portrait gallery.
“It is a place no one wishes their loved one to be seen, given the circumstances of why they are there. Nonetheless, it is so rewarding to retire that leaf icon tile with the replacement of this quietly compelling portrait,” noted Jan S. Ramirez, our Chief Curator.
Anyone with further information about Ogletree is encouraged to contact the Museum.
By 9/11 Memorial Staff