For months after the September 11 attacks, the identity of the mysterious "red bandana man" who helped numerous people escape the South Tower of the World Trade Center remained unknown. That changed when Alison Crowther read an article in The New York Times describing a survivor's encounter with a man in a red bandana. The details were instantly familiar to her — the man described was her son, Welles Crowther, a 24-year-old equities trader who worked in the South Tower. Welles made multiple trips through the smoke-filled stairwells, helping injured and trapped people escape before the building collapsed. Though he saved many lives, he did not survive the attack. Welles had been training as a junior firefighter with the Empire Hook & Ladder Company since the age of 16, following in his father’s footsteps. The red bandana, which he carried with him throughout his life, had been given to him by his father, Jefferson. Welles often said it was a symbol of his desire to make a difference, stating, "With this red bandana, I’m going to change the world." Before his death, Welles had graduated from Boston College with a degree in economics and played lacrosse. He worked as a financial analyst for Sandler O'Neill & Partners, whose office was on the 104th floor of the South Tower. United Airlines Flight 175 struck the building between the 77th and 85th floors at 9:03 a.m. Nine minutes later, Welles called his mother and left a message saying, "Mom, this is Welles. I wanted you to know that I’m okay." That was the last time she heard his voice. Survivors later described how Welles helped them escape. According to Judy Wein, who was saved by a man in a red bandana, Welles reached the 78th-floor sky lobby and found a group of 17 people waiting for an elevator. He carried a woman on his back down 17 flights of stairs to safer air. After dropping her off, he returned to the 78th floor, wearing his red bandana to help him breathe through the smoke. He then helped others, urging them to walk down the stairs and offering assistance to the injured. He made multiple trips, leading people to safety before returning to the upper floors, where he was last seen with FDNY firefighters. Welles’s body was found near several firefighters in March 2002. His family later discovered an application for the New York Fire Department in his apartment. In 2006, he was posthumously named an honorary New York City firefighter. His parents established a charitable trust in his name, and Boston College honors him annually through the Red Bandana Run and the Red Bandana Game. In 2023, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Welles’s red bandana now stands as a monument at the National September 11 Memorial. President Barack Obama once said, "They didn’t know his name. They didn’t know where he came from. But they knew their lives had been saved by the man in the red bandana." Survivors like Judy Wein continue to remember Welles for his extraordinary courage and selflessness.