Family and friends of September 11 terrorist victim Boyd Gatton gathered last night at his old school to say a fond farewell and plant a tree in his memory.

Around 20 of Mr. Gatton's former classmates at Saltus Grammar School joined the dead man's family in prayers and in laying soil around the palm tree which they dedicated to him outside the Dudley G. Butterfield Library.

Mr. Gatton's mother Gloria placed the first scoop of soil around the tree, followed by a group of his relatives and friends.

Wendell Hollis, the chairman of the board of trustees at the school, said Mr. Gatton's death had brought home the September 11 tragedy to everyone at the school.

"Boyd from that moment will always be considered a Saltus hero. Given the life Boyd left behind, it is very important for us to remember his life," said Mr. Hollis.

Mr. Gatton, 38, and fellow Bermudian Rondelle Tankard, 31, were killed when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York on September 11.

Known as "The Professor", Mr. Gatton, formerly worked for the civil service, the Bank of Bermuda and Bank of Butterfield, before moving to New York in 1992.

His final job was with Fiduciary Trust as an operations officer in the number two tower in the World Trade Center.

School principal Nigel Kermode said the sad reunion for the tree planting took him and Mr. Gatton's former classmates back to 1979, the year the dead man left the school.

Mr. Kermode recalled with amusement how, just after arriving in Bermuda from England as a teacher in 1978, one of his first memories of Mr. Gatton was of him sitting at the back of the class in January wearing gloves and a woollen scarf complaining about the cold weather.

He saw him after he left school wearing flowing robes while he was a member of the Coptic Church, later swapping that for a business suit as he worked for the Bank of Bermuda.

Just six months ago, Mr. Gatton had left a message on the school website trying to find out what was happening in his alma mater after finding the home page while surfing the Internet.

"When September 11 came, we all lost contact with Boyd. It's a tragedy and that's what's brought us here tonight," said Mr. Kermode.

He recalled a graduation speech he made several years ago, when he told all departing students that they would think back fondly to these days in the future when all their hopes, fears and disappointments would come alive again in memory.

"Boyd will always be a part of this place and I hope this tree planting will be an enduring memory to him, a living, growing thing," he said.

"It is a terrible and tragic loss, but I hope in some small way that this tree will acknowledge Boyd's part in Saltus Grammar School all those years ago."

Some of Mr. Gatton's former classmates, from as far afield as Chile, England and the Isle of Man had been in touch since they heard about the plans for the tree planting.

Father Gary Colville of St. John's Church blessed the tree with consecrated water, and said: "May it grow to maturity as we pray for the soul of our dear brother Boyd growing in maturity in heaven."

The school is establishing a scholarship for 2002-3 in Boyd's memory. The other members of Mr. Gatton's family who attended the ceremony were his nieces Rukiya O'Connor, Kanderee Gatton, and Shalynn Smith, cousin Linda Taylor and her husband Dendrick, foster sisters Diane Simpson and Flo Washington, his friend Wendy DeShields, his great nephew Aizaya Wilson Smith, and great niece Elysha Medeiros.