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Living Large, Playing Hard

The yelling, screaming, posturing and power plays of the trading floor were Patrick J. Buhse's idea of nirvana. A government bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald, Mr. Buhse, 36, scrapped his way up from entry level in "the cage" at 18 and never worked anyplace else. "College or Cantor," was his take on higher education.

He lived large and played hard: Mr. Buhse was a Budweiser man. What he liked even better than amassing money was giving it away to relatives. A car here, a fur coat there, private school for the nieces and nephews. Sure, he drove a Honda, but it was brand-new. "He wasn't showy, but all his toys had to be new and clean," said his wife, Susan. "And his television had to be the biggest."

Relentlessly social, Mr. Buhse looked for any excuse to entertain on the town or at home in Lincroft, N.J. He loved telling jokes, and was not above stealing other people's anecdotes and improving them. He doted on his two children and reserved Friday nights for family in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where he was the loudest of six siblings. "The glass was always half full, not half empty," his wife said. "His motto was, 'Live for the moment.' "

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on September 28, 2001.