9/11 Stories: Fort Lee Dentist Keeps Son's Spirit Alive

Dr. Robert Zampieri, a graduate of Fort Lee High School and dentist to many generations of Fort Lee residents, says there is no such thing as closure for him.

"Why would I want closure?," he said. "Why would I ever want to close out my son?"

On September 11, 2001, Robbie Zampieri was a 30-year-old Asian markets commodities trader for Carr Futures with nothing but a bright future ahead of him. 

A 1989 graduate of Bergen Catholic High School and 1992 graduate of St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., Robbie studied in London and worked in Dublin, Ireland, before landing on the 92nd floor of One World Trade Center. An inspirational older brother to Jeannie and Michael, Robbie loved spending time with his family. Whether it was gathering together at the Jersey Shore, or golfing with his father, family meant everything to Robbie.

Like in so many 9/11 stories, Robbie should never have been in the North Tower that morning. Normally, he worked nights, but on September 11th, 2001, he was assigned to work days.

“He had a heart as big an anything you’ve ever seen,” said his father. “When you were Robbie’s friend, you were his friend for life.” 

And in this case, even in death, because seated beside him at the trading desk on that fateful day was his best friend from Bergen Catholic, fellow football Crusader, Chris Vialonga. Standing over six feet tall each, these two good-looking young men were referred to as the “Twin Towers” whenever they walked into a room together.  

Dr. Zampieri learned of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center from his daughter, Jeannie, who had called his office. Immediately, Dr. Zampieri and his staff went to the second floor of his office and watched the events as they unfolded on an old television set. When the second plane hit, Dr. Zampieri drove to his home in Saddle River to be with his wife, Pat. 

The night of the attacks, after the world had held its breath as it watched both towers collapse, Pat Zampieri spoke to her son and said, “You have to let me know you’re all right. You have to let me know you’re all right because if you don’t, I’m not going to get through this.”

Then she opened her family Bible and found a note from Robbie written on Carr Futures stationary tucked inside that read, “Mom, I will always love you. Rob.”

It was then she decided to do something in Robbie’s name to keep his spirit of giving alive. 

At the time of his death, Robbie had been living in a fifth floor walk-up in Jersey City and had fallen in love with the city. Shortly after 9/11, Pat had read that St. Anthony’s in Jersey City was scheduled to close in 2002 due to a lack of funds to keep the school operational. That’s when she had an idea. At 3 a.m. she nudged her husband awake and informed him that he was going to sponsor a golf tournament in Robbie’s name to raise money to save the school. 

Dr. Zampieri remembers that night with a smile.

“Initially, neither I nor St. Anthony’s was enthused with her idea, but you know something? My wife was right," he said. "In four years we’ve raised over $1 million for St. Anthony’s in Robbie’s name.”

He added, “At first I didn’t want to ask my friends for money. But I quickly learned that they were eager to contribute. It was their way of remembering Robbie, and a vehicle for them to express their grief.”

Robbie was a young man who constantly gave to anyone who was in need. His death did not stop that giving. Through his scholarship, The Robbie Zampieri Scholarship Fund, Robbie continues to give every single day to high school students at St. Anthony’s whose families cannot afford the cost of tuition. Giving those in need a chance for a better life keeps Robbie’s spirit alive. 

“Robbie is with me all the time,” Dr. Zampieri said. “That’s why I don’t mourn his death because I know he’s with me. He comes to me.”

When he was vacationing in Sante Fe exploring the streets of the town, Dr. Zampieri found two quarters on the sidewalk. He picked them up and put them in his pocket, not thinking anything more of it. When he came upon the chapel “Saint Francis of Loretto,” the same name of the college that Robbie had attended in Pennsylvania, he walked in to light a candle for Robbie. But when he pulled a dollar from his pocket he realized that dollar bills were not accepted--only quarters. Fifty cents to be exact.

“I knew without question that Robbie was with me that day in the chapel," he said. "And I believe that he left those quarters for me to find.”

“You know I talk to Robbie everyday,” Dr. Zampieri said. “Every day he’s with me. I can feel him. The only difference, 10 years later, is that I just can’t hug him.” 

And it was Fort Lee, the town where Dr. Zampieri grew up, walked the cliffs, played Bridgemen basketball, and opened his dental practice that helped get him through those early dark days.

"Rarely is death so personal, and the people of Fort Lee were wonderfully supportive," he said. "The truth is that although I moved away, my heart has never left Fort Lee. It never will."   

This year’s Robbie Zampieri Scholarship Fundraiser will be held on Sept. 12 at the Knickerbocker Country Club in Tenafly.