CSU grad 'could put anyone at ease'

Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 8, 2006 at midnight

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Five years later, Alok Mehta's friends still remember his terrible back rubs and great hugs, his wicked sense of humor and his amazing knowledge of pro football statistics.

Mostly, though, they remember his huge heart.

"He was very caring," said his friend, Marla Seth. "He was such an open person. He wasn't afraid of feeling things, and he had such a positive outlook."

Alok also loved to talk, which is how Seth met him.

They were students at Colorado State University, and Alok had called to talk to Seth's roommate. She wasn't there, but he didn't say goodbye.

"He just started talking to me - and three hours later, he hung up," said Seth, who calls Alok one of her best friends. "He'd put anyone at ease. I never met anyone who didn't like him. He was fun to be around, very funny and very smart. He made you feel so important."

Even after Alok left Colorado to enter Hofstra University's MBA program, they talked regularly. The last time was Sept. 8, 2001.

"We were talking about the personality of cars and the people who drove them," Seth said. "He liked to brag about the future and what kind of car he'd be driving. He was teasing me over the cars I liked - I like the Chevys. I wasn't into the Porsches."

On Sept. 11, Seth hoped for the best. She knew Alok had an internship with the Cantor Fitzgerald securities brokerage, but she didn't know which days he worked. Maybe he wasn't at the World Trade Center that day.

When she finally reached his roommate, he confirmed that Alok had gone into Manhattan. But he'd taken the train, the roommate said, and the trains were down. Maybe he didn't make it in.

Later, they found out that Alok had been at Cantor Fitzgerald when the planes hit the towers. His friends knew he never would have left the building while others were trapped.

"Alok was one of the best people I ever knew," Seth said. "He was not the type of person who would have run by someone. He would have been one of the last ones out."

"I don't know if his name would have been recorded in history books," Seth says. "But he definitely would have gone far in his life.

"He made a huge impact on a lot of people's lives."

One of those people was his brother, Atul, who wrote this:

"He had taught me so much - in sports, school, in life, and some other things big brothers can only teach. He led me by example with his diligence and always believed in me. He watched out for me and gave me advice all the time. I bet he is still watching over me. I regret that I never said thanks for what he did.

"So, thanks."

Alok Kumar Mehta

1998 graduate of Colorado State University

Occupation: MBA candidate, interning as a manager with securities broker Cantor Fitzgerald

Family: Parents Gopal and Sneh Mehta, of Centennial; younger brother and sister.

Died in the attack on the World Trade Center.

Age: 23

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