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Mari-Rae Sopper

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Mari-Rae Sopper
Born(1966-06-19)June 19, 1966
DiedSeptember 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 35)
The Pentagon
Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Cause of deathAct of terrorism
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
MonumentsNational September 11 Memorial & Museum, Pentagon Memorial
EducationIowa State University (B. 1988)
University of North Texas (M. 1993)
University of Denver (J.D. 1996)
Occupation(s)Gymnastics coach and former lawyer
EmployerUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Websitewww.mari-rae.net

Mari-Rae Sopper (June 19, 1966 – September 11, 2001) was an American gymnastics coach and Judge Advocate General's Corps lawyer. She was a victim of the September 11 attacks as a passenger on hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 which crashed into The Pentagon.

Early life and education

Sopper was born on June 19, 1966, to Marion and Bill Sopper.[1][2] She was a native of Inverness, Illinois.[1][3][4] She attended William Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois and was a stand-out gymnast.[3][4][5]

Sopper enrolled at Iowa State University and walked-on to their women's gymnastics team as a freshman.[6] She was placed on scholarship for her final three years, culminating in being named "Most Valuable Gymnast" as a senior.[1][6] She graduated from Iowa State University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science.[1][2][7][8]

Sopper went on to attend the University of North Texas, where she graduated with a master's degree in athletic administration in 1993.[1][2][3] She earned her J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law in 1996.[1][2][3][8]

Career

In 1996, Sopper moved to Washington, D.C. and worked for the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant.[9][10] She worked for four years in this capacity before leaving for Schmeltzer Aptaker & Shepard.[1][3][8][9] While working, Sopper continued to be involved with gymnastics and served on the coaching staffs of the United States Naval Academy women's gymnastics club team and at George Washington University.[1][3][7][8][9]

Sopper was appointed as the head coach for UC Santa Barbara Gauchos' women's gymnastics team on August 31, 2001.[11] UC Santa Barbara, just days earlier on August 10, had announced the immediate discontinuation of the program, but it was re-instated on August 13.[12][13][14] Despite a pay-cut of over 70%, a salary of $98,000 as a lawyer to her new $28,000 women's gymnastics salary, and UC Santa Barbara officials stating the program's termination in a year, Sopper agreed to take the job.[3][13][15] She was aboard American Airlines Flight 77 en route to Los Angeles International Airport to begin her new career.[11][16][17][18] She was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.[4]

Legacy

Sopper is memorialized in numerous different ways, featuring at both the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Manhattan, New York City and the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington County, Virginia.[4] Her alma mater, Iowa State University, presents the "Mari-Rae Sopper Outstanding Performance Award" to a gymnastics athlete after each home meet.[7] A Judge Advocate General's Corps conference room within The Pentagon was also named after her.[4]

UC Santa Barbara honored Sopper by dedicating the 2002 women's gymnastic season in her honor.[19][20] The team flew Sopper's mother and step-father in to a match at the university's expense.[19][20]

The "Mari-Rae Sopper Gymnastics Memorial Fund" was created by her mother, Marion, with an initial aim to save the UC Santa Barbara gymnastics program.[21] The effort was ultimately unsuccessful after UC Santa Barbara set a $4 million goal while the Fund offered $75,000 and UCSB cut the program.[22] The Fund ultimately went to help other gymnastics programs in need.[22][23][24][25]

Further reading

  • Tailele, Joanne Simon (June 3, 2015). Within Her Grasp. ISBN 9781512124453.
  • Elliott, Josh (September 24, 2001). "On Her Way To Fulfill A Dream". Sports Illustrated.
  • Appelbaum, Eliav (September 20, 2001). "Women's Gymnastics Team Coach Dies in Terrorist Attack". Daily Nexus. Santa Barbara, California.
  • Moreno, Sylvia. "Sacred Ground - Remembering the Victims: Mari-Rae Sopper". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.
  • "Mari-Rae Sopper". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. September 17, 2001.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "State of Illinois 92nd General Assembly Legislation". http://www.ilga.gov. Illinois General Assembly. 2001–2002. Retrieved September 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d Hull, Jolene (September 11, 2003). "In memory of Mari-Rae". Iowa State Daily. Ames, Iowa. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Congressional Record: PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 107th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION" (PDF). https://www.congress.gov. United States Congress. August 1, 2002. pp. S7878–S7879. Retrieved September 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e Sotonoff, Jamie (June 19, 2015). "Book recounts Inverness 9/11 victim's triumph over mental illness". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  5. ^ Burton, Cheryl (September 6, 2011). "Ten Years Later: 'There's an acceptance that comes'". WLS-TV. Chicago. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Harpster, Dayna (September 9, 2011). "Marion Kminek wants us to never forget her daughter, Mari-Rae". The News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "Ten Years Later, Cyclones Continue to Honor 9/11 Victim". http://www.cyclones.com. Iowa State Cyclones. September 9, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  8. ^ a b c d "UNT alumna killed". http://www.unt.edu. University of North Texas. Retrieved September 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  9. ^ a b c "Mari-Rae Sopper biography". http://pentagonmemorial.org. Retrieved September 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  10. ^ Wulf, Steve (October 1, 2001). "Sudden Death". ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  11. ^ a b "UCSB Women's Gymnastics Coach, Mari-Rae Sopper, Among Those Who Perished On American Airlines Flight 77". http://www.instadv.ucsb.edu. September 12, 2001. Archived from the original on November 27, 2001. Retrieved September 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  12. ^ "UC Santa Barbara Discontinues Sponsorship Of Gymnastics Programs As NCAA Sports". http://ucsbgauchos.fansonly.com. August 10, 2001. Archived from the original on March 2, 2002. Retrieved September 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  13. ^ a b "UCSB Will Sponsor Gymnastics For One More Season". http://ucsbgauchos.collegesports.com. August 13, 2001. Archived from the original on November 25, 2004. Retrieved September 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  14. ^ "UCSB gymnastics coach among attack victims". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia. September 12, 2001. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  15. ^ Richardson, Scott (September 11, 2011). "Sister remembers B-N resident who died in attacks". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  16. ^ Cox, Vic (September 24, 2001). "Shock, Sorrow, and Chance: Terror Attacks Felt Locally". 93106. 12 (1). University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  17. ^ "UCSB Women's Gymnastics Coach, Mari-Rae Sopper, Among Those Who Perished On American Airlines Flight 77". http://ucsbgauchos.ocsn.com. September 12, 2001. Archived from the original on October 17, 2002. Retrieved September 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  18. ^ "Mari-Rae Sopper". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  19. ^ a b "A Truly Special Night". http://ucsbgauchos.ocsn.com. February 28, 2002. Archived from the original on November 29, 2002. Retrieved September 17, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  20. ^ a b Freet, Chris (February 27, 2002). "Women's Gymnastics: UCSB Honors Coach". Daily Nexus. Santa Barbara, California. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  21. ^ Sotonoff, Jamie (December 30, 2001). "A mission of love: Four months to raise $4 million". Daily Herald. Vol. 130, no. 77. Arlington Heights, Illinois. p. 3. Retrieved September 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  22. ^ a b Sotonoff, Jamie (May 3, 2002). "Falling Short of Goal, Family Redirects Memorial Fund". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Retrieved September 17, 2015 – via HighBeam Research. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ Livingston, Ashleigh (July 29, 2012). "City School gymnastics saved by 9/11 victim's fund". Press-Republican. Plattsburgh, New York. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  24. ^ Kittle, Shaun (August 16, 2012). "Plattsburgh city school's budget cuts". Sun Community News. Plattsburgh, New York. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  25. ^ Sotonoff, Jamie (September 11, 2009). "Are we keeping our vow to 'never forget?'". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
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