Like many Lehman Brothers veterans, I spent the weekend before the firm declared bankruptcy glued to Bloomberg News, expecting a miracle. Lehman had bounced back from many near-death experiences in the past. Not this time. Having only recently retired, I went in on Monday along with thousands of others after the bankruptcy was declared to pack my boxes and grieve with my friends. Late in the day, I walked by the office of CEO Dick Fuld, who had led the company for 14 years. He was sitting at his desk, ashen, the phones quiet. I told him how sorry I was and what an enormously positive impact he had made on people's lives. He thanked me and, just as I was departing, said, "I just wish the ending had been different."
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