Hope Runs Out for Lucky's Brother

Samuel Holmes (Class of 1963), known to his friends and to Art & Design alumni as 'Lucky,' didn't feel so very lucky on September 11, 2001. On that day his brother Stanley McCaskill was listed among the missing at the World Trade Center.
____The New York Post ran a series of articles after 9/11 on the attack on America. In the September 22, 2001 article, "Torn by Hope, Grief -- Anguished Mom, Son Await Dreaded News," columnist Leonard Greene wrote this about Lucky and the loss of his brother: "When he was a baby, Samuel Holmes survived an illness that nearly killed him -- so people began calling him 'Lucky'. The nickname followed him into adulthood -- despite a series of staggering misfortunes. Cancer stole his father. Cancer stole his wife. And now, some crazy terrorists may have stolen the life of his little brother.
____"After more than a week of watching rescuers dig frantically but futilely through what was once the World Trade Center, he fears his luck has run out for good. Stanley McCaskill, 47, who was working as a security guard on the 92nd floor of the north tower, is listed among the missing."
____Lucky was Art & Design's school basketball team's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. That fighting spirit continued in the face of this tragedy, as he attended the various Grand Reunion events. He was also a motivating factor in the students' fundraising endeavor for 9/11 charities.
____"You can't let your friends and family call you 'Lucky' without being an optimist," the Post article quoted him as saying. "But Holmes says he's a realist, too...'Sometimes you have to look for signs of closure, and bring it to a close,' a pained Holmes says. 'It has dawned on me, personally, that the chances of people coming out of that is slim.' "

A memorial service was held for Stanley McCaskill in December 2001.

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