Boyd Gatton may only have lived until the age of 39 - but in his short time he experienced life to the full, friends and family have told.

Known as the Professor from being a small boy in Bermuda, he was always striving to learn more and experience new things.

He grew up in St.George's and attended Saltus Grammar School, and also served for a time as a Sea Cadet.

After leaving school he worked for both the Bank of Bermuda and the Bank of N.T. Butterfield, before working as a pension collections officer for the Civil Service.

But it was Boyd's need to grow and experience new life that took him to New York to live in 1992.

There, he at first studied, before working for UPS delivery company. And in an amazing twist of fate, he had visited the World Trade Center to deliver a parcel just five minutes before the terrorist bomb exploded in an underground car park eight years ago. That time, he was lucky.

His sister Pauline said a year later he began working at Fiduciary Trust at number two World Trade Centre, where he worked for six years as an operations officer, before losing his life among 3,000 others on September 11 this year.

His friends described him as the most hard-working person they knew. He would regularly work from home, or spend his weekends on business.

But when Boyd was not working, his friends said he would be trying to improve his camera techniques with friends at Hudson Camera in New Jersey, practising his Tai Chi in the park across the street, reading, watching films, or spending time with his friends at the Cincinatti Masonic Lodge. He had books to match his hobbies all over his apartment, including volumes on algebra and trigonometry, as well as books of poetry.

And in an obvious show of love and affection for his family, he had large framed photographs dotted around the room of his many relatives, particularly his beloved nieces Kenderee Gatton, Rukiya O'Connor, and Shalynn Smith - who had visited him often and of whom he was very fond and proud.

Visiting the apartment on Friday night, Boyd's friend Will was helping the family to pack up some of his things.

He recalled the first few desperate days when he was trying to make contact with Boyd following the attack on the World Trade Centre and said he had felt the loss every day since.

Will said: "The one thing I would say about Boyd was that he liked to talk. There was never a boring conversation with him. He was a very intelligent guy and could talk about any issue.He was involved in so many things and he gave everything 100 percent. He was constantly reading, so he knew so much about a lot of things.

"I prayed that he would be ok, but when he didn't call, reality slapped me in the face. It's got a bit easier. We have become friends with Pauline and the rest of Boyd's family, so I feel that something has been gained out of his loss."

Boyd's girlfriend Audrey McKenzie, who had known him for more than two years, described him as a "teddy bear".

She said: "He was one in a million - a very special person. I wish I had had more time with him."