On a traffic island at Hudson and Bank Streets is a small dark plaque. Obscured by tree branches, it’s a low-key memorial to a 31-year-old man killed in the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

Plaque in memory of David Harlow Rice near a tree, indicating his connection to the World Trade Center.

“In Memory of David Harlow Rice, World Trade Center II,” it reads, with Rice’s birth date and “9-11-01” embossed in bronze.

Somebody placed that inconspicuous plaque on this peaceful stretch of the West Village who didn’t want Rice to be forgotten. Curious about his life, I found an obituary that provided some backstory.

Rice was born in Oklahoma City, went to college at Loyola University in Chicago, then spent time in Africa as a Fulbright Scholar. His next move was to England to attend the London School of Economics. After graduating, he went back to Chicago to work at the investment banking firm Sandler O’Neil.

A city intersection featuring traffic signs indicating 'Bicycles Only' and 'Thru Traffic,' with a small planted area in the middle. In the background, a multi-story brick building and trees are visible under a clear sky.

In February 2001, he was transferred to the New York office in World Trade Center II—and was one of 66 Sandler O’Neill employees murdered on 9/11.

“David will always be remembered for his quick wit, bright and energetic personality and for his deep devotion as a son, brother, and friend to many,” the obit stated. “He had a wonderful spiritual life and was a friend of Bill W,” a coded way of hinting that he overcame substance abuse challenges.

The person who memorialized Rice under this tree isn’t known, and I don’t know when the plaque appeared. It’s one of the many small, more personal monuments to the victims that don’t get the fanfare the official memorial does but have their own fierce, affecting power.

Memorial plaque for David Harlow Rice, located at the site of World Trade Center II, listing birth date and date of death.

You might not notice the plaque next time you’re in this neck of the West Village, and that’s understandable.

Whoever placed it here must have known it’s in an obscure spot, and perhaps that was the point—they didn’t want it to be a distraction but rather a positive contribution to a traumatized city.

But the tree it’s placed beside is full, thick, and hard to ignore. It embodies the spirit of David Harlow Rice and all the David Harlow Rices who went to their offices at the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 and never returned home.