Dream Job, With a Smile

On Tyler Ugolyn's Web site is a handwritten note from his grandmother: Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift from God!

The words resounded through the life of Mr. Ugolyn, a 23-year-old Columbia University graduate who started his dream job last summer as a research associate with Fred Alger Management Inc., in the World Trade Center. At 6-foot-4, he was an accomplished athlete who played basketball for Columbia before being injured. Not to be defined by a single thing, he was known for a constant smile and infectious, if offbeat, laugh. He helped start a youth basketball program in Harlem, but was also known for his love for his 1992 GMC Typhoon (also featured prominently on the Web site).

"He did many things diligently and with passion," said Zachary Schiller, a friend and teammate at Columbia. "The way he ran drills in basketball. The way he went to church every Sunday. He did it without complaining and would sort of remind everyone through his effort and example."