According to an interview in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, architect Michael Arad was on paternity leave when he found out he was a finalist in the competition for designing the World Trade Center Memorial. His and his wife's first son, Nathaniel, was six weeks old.
He extended his leave to refine his design, and he won. His employer at the time, who accommodated his extension: New York City's Housing Authority, where Arad had designed a couple of police stations.
