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
United States
DiedSeptember 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 35)
Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Cause of deathPlane crash
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/

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]

Death and legacy

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][16][17][18] Her remains were later recovered and identified. She was laid to rest 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 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]

References
  1. "State of Illinois 92nd General Assembly Legislation". ilga.gov. Illinois General Assembly. 2001–2002. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  2. Hull, Jolene (September 11, 2003). "In memory of Mari-Rae". Iowa State Daily. Ames, Iowa. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  3. "Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 107th Congress, Second Session" (PDF). congress.gov. United States Congress. August 1, 2002. pp. S7878–S7879. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  4. Sotonoff, Jamie (June 19, 2015). "Book recounts Inverness 9/11 victim's triumph over mental illness". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  5. Burton, Cheryl (September 6, 2011). "Ten Years Later: 'There's an acceptance that comes'". WLS-TV. Chicago. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. 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. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  8. "UNT alumna killed". unt.edu. University of North Texas. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  9. "Mari-Rae Sopper biography". pentagonmemorial.org. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  10. Wulf, Steve (October 1, 2001). "Sudden Death". ESPN The Magazine. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. 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". ucsbgauchos.fansonly.com. August 10, 2001. Archived from the original on March 2, 2002. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  13. "UCSB Will Sponsor Gymnastics For One More Season". ucsbgauchos.collegesports.com. August 13, 2001. Archived from the original on November 25, 2004. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  14. "UCSB gymnastics coach among attack victims". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia. September 12, 2001. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  15. Richardson, Scott (September 11, 2011). "Sister remembers B-N resident who died in attacks". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. 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). Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  17. "UCSB Women's Gymnastics Coach, Mari-Rae Sopper, Among Those Who Perished On American Airlines Flight 77". ucsbgauchos.ocsn.com. September 12, 2001. Archived from the original on October 17, 2002. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  18. "Mari-Rae Sopper". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  19. "A Truly Special Night". ucsbgauchos.ocsn.com. February 28, 2002. Archived from the original on November 29, 2002. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  20. Freet, Chris (February 27, 2002). "Women's Gymnastics: UCSB Honors Coach". Daily Nexus. Santa Barbara, California. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. 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. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  22. Sotonoff, Jamie (May 3, 2002). "Falling Short of Goal, Family Redirects Memorial Fund". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois.
  23. Livingston, Ashleigh (July 29, 2012). "City School gymnastics saved by 9/11 victim's fund". Press-Republican. Plattsburgh, New York. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  24. Kittle, Shaun (August 16, 2012). "Plattsburgh city school's budget cuts". Sun Community News. Plattsburgh, New York. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  25. Sotonoff, Jamie (September 11, 2009). "Are we keeping our vow to 'never forget?'". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2015.

Further reading
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