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Mari-Rae Sopper

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Mari-Rae Sopper
Born(1966-06-19)June 19, 1966
United States
DiedSeptember 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 35)
Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Cause of deathPlane crash (September 11 terrorist attacks)
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
Websiteweb.archive.org/web/20060425131848/http://www.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

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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

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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] 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][12][14]

Death and legacy

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On September 11, 2001, Sopper was aboard American Airlines Flight 77 en route to Los Angeles International Airport to begin her new career; however, the plane was hijacked and deliberately crashed into The Pentagon.[11][15][16][17] Her remains were later recovered and identified. She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[4]

Sopper's name inscribed at the September 11 Memorial in New York.

Sopper is memorialized at 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 gymnastics season in her honor.[18][19] The team flew Sopper's mother and step-father in for a match at the university's expense.[18][19]

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.[20] 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.[21] The Fund ultimately went to help other gymnastics programs in need.[21][22][23][24]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "State of Illinois 92nd General Assembly Legislation". Illinois General Assembly. 2015-09-16. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  2. ^ a b c d Hull, Jolene (2003-09-11). "In memory of Mari-Rae". Iowa State Daily. Ames, Iowa. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 107th Congress, Second Session" (PDF). United States Congress. 2002-08-01. pp. S7878–S7879. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  4. ^ a b c d e Sotonoff, Jamie (2015-06-19). "Book recounts Inverness 9/11 victim's triumph over mental illness". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Archived from the original on 2015-10-25. Retrieved 2015-09-16.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Burton, Cheryl (2011-09-06). "Ten Years Later: 'There's an acceptance that comes'". ABC 7 Eyewitness News. Chicago: ABC News. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  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.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ a b c "Ten Years Later, Cyclones Continue to Honor 9/11 Victim". Iowa State Cyclones. 2011-09-09. Archived from the original on 2015-08-15. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  8. ^ a b c d "UNT alumna killed". University of North Texas. 2002-06-14. Archived from the original on 2016-02-10. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  9. ^ a b c "Biographies: Mari-Rae Sopper". The 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. 2012-12-08. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  10. ^ Wulf, Steve (2001-10-01). "Sudden Death". ESPN The Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  11. ^ a b Mahoney, Bill (2001-09-12). "UCSB Women's Gymnastics Coach, Mari-Rae Sopper, Among Those Who Perished On American Airlines Flight 77". UCSB. Archived from the original on 2001-11-27. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  12. ^ a b Mahoney, Bill (2001-08-13). "UCSB Will Sponsor Gymnastics For One More Season". UCSB. Archived from the original on 2004-11-25. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  13. ^ "UCSB gymnastics coach among attack victims". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia. 2001-09-12. Archived from the original on 2015-03-03. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  14. ^ Richardson, Scott (2011-09-11). "Sister remembers B-N resident who died in attacks". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. Archived from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  15. ^ Cox, Vic (2001-09-24). "Shock, Sorrow, and Chance: Terror Attacks Felt Locally". 93106. 12 (1). University of California, Santa Barbara. Archived from the original on 2015-11-22. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  16. ^ "UCSB Women's Gymnastics Coach, Mari-Rae Sopper, Among Those Who Perished On American Airlines Flight 77". University of California - Santa Barbara Gauchos. 2001-09-12. Archived from the original on 2002-10-17. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  17. ^ "Mari-Rae Sopper". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. 2015-09-13. Archived from the original on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  18. ^ a b "A Truly Special Night". University of California - Santa Barbara Gauchos. 2002-02-28. Archived from the original on 2002-11-29. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  19. ^ a b Freet, Chris (2002-02-27). "Women's Gymnastics: UCSB Honors Coach". Daily Nexus. Santa Barbara, California. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  20. ^ 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. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  21. ^ a b Sotonoff, Jamie (May 3, 2002). "Falling Short of Goal, Family Redirects Memorial Fund". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois.[dead link‍]
  22. ^ Livingston, Ashleigh (2012-07-29). "City School gymnastics saved by 9/11 victim's fund". Press-Republican. Plattsburgh, New York. Archived from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  23. ^ Kittle, Shaun (2012-08-16). "Plattsburgh city school's budget cuts". Sun Community News. Plattsburgh, New York. Archived from the original on 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2015-09-17.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ Sotonoff, Jamie (2009-09-11). "Are we keeping our vow to 'never forget?'". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-09-17.

Further reading

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