Jeffrey Dwayne Collman was one of nine American Airlines Flight 11 flight attendants, a victim of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was born in Yorkville, Illinois on September 28, 1959, but had lived in Novato, California for the last four years with his partner, Keith Bradkowski.
Though the third year American employee usually worked on only Boston-to-San Francisco flights, Collman had switched to Flight 11's Boston-to-Los Angeles route for the month of September because of vacation plans involving his upcoming birthday.
Collman was an aspiring chef with a love of preparing dessert dishes and enjoyed flying for his work. He received the American Professional Flight Attendant Award in 1999. He was also a tennis fan and had attended the 2001 United States Open days before his passing.
At the time of his death, he was survived by his partner, his step-mother, four brothers and a sister.
Keith Bradkowski described Collman as courageous and safety-conscious, saying, "He was so focused on safety, if there was a threat, he would have done anything in his power to prevent it." Collman had spoken to Bradkowski on September 10, saying he was excited about his vacation. Bradkowski has become a spokesperson of sorts for gay rights and same-sex partner benefits since his spouse's death.[1]
Kay Collman, Jeffrey's stepmother, remembered him as having "had friends all over the world; he was a people person." She said, "He'd know the life histories of his passengers after just one flight."
