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OBITUARIES
The following is edited from a tribute to Tyler Ugolyn ’01 that was written by family and friends and appeared in his local newspaper, The Ridgefield (Conn.) Press. Tall, good-looking, with a laugh that made others laugh with him,
Tyler Ugolyn ’01 led by example and turned his talent for sports
into a vehicle to help others. The 1997 graduate of Ridgefield (Conn.)
High School, a committed basketball star who earned his way to Columbia
College as an athlete and a scholar, died at 23 on September 11,
a victim of the World Trade Center attack. Tyler, or “Ty” as he was affectionately known, was the
son of Victor and Diane Ugolyn. Born on August 7, 1978, in Springfield,
Mass., his basketball skill led him to be rated as one of the top
275 high school seniors in the country by Prep Stars Recruiter’s
Handbook during his senior year. He was named to First Team
All Area and FCIAC Division. In addition, he was nominated to the
1997 McDonald’s High School All-American Team and received
honorable mention recognition from the adidas Blue Ribbon Handbook. Although Tyler was co-captain of his varsity basketball team and
also played varsity tennis and JV baseball, he took his studies
very seriously. He was an honors student at Ridgefield H.S. and
a member of the National Honor Society. He was active in Safe Rides,
Young Life, Key Club, Future Business Leaders and Big Brothers Big
Sisters. He also was a student-athlete representative for Parent
to Parent, selected by the high school to discuss with parents of
incoming freshmen how to balance academics with athletics. A patriotic person, Tyler was one of four students awarded an internship
to attend a summer week in Washington, D.C., to work with local
and national government representatives. His essay on the Bill of
Rights won recognition by the Library of Congress and the State
of Connecticut in a national social studies competition. An economics major at Columbia, Tyler continued his involvement
on and off the court. Hampered by injuries, he ended his varsity
basketball career in his junior year and channeled his energy into
other activities. For his fraternity, Kappa Delta Rho, Tyler served
as vice president, secretary and Webmaster. A devout Catholic who attended Mass regularly and had a natural
leadership quality, Tyler became one of the founding members of
Columbia Catholic Athletes. He initiated and ran an inner-city youth
basketball league for Harlem children, was active in the annual
Columbia Outreach program and was a soup kitchen volunteer in Harlem. He became a Eucharistic Minister and served as a sponsor for a
friend who converted to Catholicism. He also participated as a Columbia
representative, along with students from Poland, Spain, Argentina
and Italy, in a transatlantic televised prayer service with Pope
John Paul II to pray the Rosary in Latin for world peace. Tyler was never afraid to show his strong faith or his family commitment.
His friends at Ridgefield and Columbia called him a self-assured,
fun-loving guy who always found even the simplest things entertaining.
“He was a presence,” said one friend. “No, he was
his own presence. He was an inspiration to be around. He was the
centerpiece.” The September 24, 2001 issue of Sports Illustrated featured
a tribute to Tyler, “Picture This Perfect – Tyler Ugolyn
went from being a face on a missing person flier to a friend you
wish you’d met.” Our Lady of Fatima, his middle school,
dedicated its flagpole in his memory, and Ridgefield High retired
his basketball jersey No. 34 and hung it on the gym wall next to
the American flag. He loved Columbia, New York City, the Yankees and his 1992 GMC
Typhoon. “Tyler lived a beautiful life with great friends,”
said his father. “He worked hard and played hard, touching
so many people, and his legacy will live on through them.” The program at Tyler’s memorial service contained his thoughts
about a poem he wrote where he said, “There are things that
every person carries with them that they wish they could have changed
if they had a chance or could have been different all together.
Mistakes will be made by everyone but must be accepted and not dwelled
upon. Just living your life in the present is the best thing to
do. There is nothing you can do about the things that have already
happened, but the things in the future are for you to decide.”
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