James Joseph (Joe) Ferguson (19XX-September 11, 2001) was the director of geography education outreach for the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C He developed educational programs for schools and took children on field trips to exotic places.
He died at age 39 in the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack on board American Airlines flight 77.
He was on the first leg of a trip to the Channel Islands in California, where he was to conduct an educational field trip.
He was survived by his mother, Barbara Harrell, brother Randy Ferguson and sister-in-law, Jennifer Ferguson of Mississippi. According to his friends, he loved clothes, his dog Winston, cooking, music and dancing. David Merlin Duke, a friend in Nashville, says, "[w]hen Joe got up in the morning, first thing he'd do was blast the music. He'd dance while he got dressed, and I mean he dressed. Joe didn't have clothes -- he had 'outfits'."
"I was a student on an 'educational field trip' with Joe (Project Marco Polo) in 1994. I remember his love of music and good food. I also remember that he and Ann Judge, another passenger that day on flight 77, were a brilliant team, leading us through Italy, Malta, and Tunisia. Not only did they make sure everything went smoothly, but they conducted the trip with a sense of style, grace, and humour. I will never forget that trip or the horrible events on 9/11/01." ~Meghan Spyker, 23, Music Therapist in San Francisco, CA.
See September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack/Casualties.