Memories of Peter Ortale
Fellow Blue Devil recalls Ortale's energy
Peter Ortale had the room next to mine at Duke in 1984. I remember meeting him after he had just run from the campus to the airport, a distance of about 20 miles.
He was usually revved up, like he was burning energy at a speed twice as fast as everybody else. He was handsome, athletic, smart and tough.
His utter annihilation in a moment in time was the vivid impact that 9/11 had on my life. I began to feel profoundly fortunate in spite of what I did not inherit, achieve or possess.
The poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling was a favorite of his. I want to thank his family for sharing the poem, which is now a favorite of mine.
Thomas J. Flaherty, Collingswood, N.J.
