Mari-Rae Sopper

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.

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 deathAirplane hijacking (American Airlines Flight 77)
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)
OccupationGymnastics coach and former lawyer
EmployerUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Home townInverness, Illinois, U.S.
Websiteweb.archive.org/web/20060425131848/http://www.mari-rae.net/

Early life

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. "State of Illinois 92nd General Assembly Legislation". ilga.gov. Illinois General Assembly. 2001–2002. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  2. Hull, Jolene (September 11, 2003). "In memory of Mari-Rae". Iowa State Daily. Ames, Iowa. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  3. "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. External link in |website= (help)
  4. 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. 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. "Ten Years Later, Cyclones Continue to Honor 9/11 Victim". cyclones.com. Iowa State Cyclones. September 9, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  8. "UNT alumna killed". unt.edu. University of North Texas. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  9. "Mari-Rae Sopper biography". http://pentagonmemorial.org. Retrieved September 16, 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  10. Wulf, Steve (October 1, 2001). "Sudden Death". ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  11. "UCSB Women's Gymnastics Coach, Mari-Rae Sopper, Among Those Who Perished On American Airlines Flight 77". instadv.ucsb.edu. September 12, 2001. Archived from the original on November 27, 2001. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  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. External link in |website= (help)
  13. "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. 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. University of California, Santa Barbara. 12 (1). 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. External link in |website= (help)
  18. "Mari-Rae Sopper". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  19. "A Truly Special Night". http://ucsbgauchos.ocsn.com. February 28, 2002. Archived from the original on November 29, 2002. Retrieved September 17, 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  20. 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. 130 (77). Arlington Heights, Illinois. p. 3. Retrieved September 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. Sotonoff, Jamie (May 3, 2002). "Falling Short of Goal, Family Redirects Memorial Fund". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Retrieved September 17, 2015 – via Questia Online Library.
  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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