From collection Person List
Todd Beamer attended Wheaton Academy from 1983 to 1985, where he played on the soccer, basketball, and baseball teams. He was elected class vice president his junior year but had to leave before his senior year when his father took a job in California. Beamer started college at California State University, Fresno, but transferred to Wheaton College, graduating in business in 1991.
Beamer worked at Oracle Corporation, first as a field marketing representative and later as an account manager. His work required him to travel regularly, and on September 11, 2001, he boarded Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco in order to meet with representatives from the Sony Corporation. When terrorists hijacked the airplane and rerouted it to Washington, D.C., the passengers, herded to the back of the plane, called loved ones and learned of the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. According to accounts pieced together from cell phone conversations, Beamer formed a group determined to take the plane back from the hijackers. They ultimately decided to storm the cockpit and, if necessary, crash the plane into the ground. Right beforehand, Beamer told an operator, “If I don’t make it, please call my family and let them know how much I love them.” After muffled voices, Beamer clearly answered, “Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.”
According to the 9/11 Commission Report, the passengers succeeded in storming the cockpit, where a violent assault occurred, during which the plane crashed into an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board.
Beamer was praised by American leaders for his heroism and courage. President George W. Bush used the words “Let’s roll” in several speeches, including the 2002 State of the Union address. Beamer and his fellow passenger are memorialized at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, and the National 9/11 Memorial in New York City.
Wheaton Academy commemorates the life of Todd Beamer in the Hanson Memorial Garden, and Wheaton Academy has named its annual golf outing the “Todd Beamer Benefit” in his honor.
Beamer worked at Oracle Corporation, first as a field marketing representative and later as an account manager. His work required him to travel regularly, and on September 11, 2001, he boarded Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco in order to meet with representatives from the Sony Corporation. When terrorists hijacked the airplane and rerouted it to Washington, D.C., the passengers, herded to the back of the plane, called loved ones and learned of the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. According to accounts pieced together from cell phone conversations, Beamer formed a group determined to take the plane back from the hijackers. They ultimately decided to storm the cockpit and, if necessary, crash the plane into the ground. Right beforehand, Beamer told an operator, “If I don’t make it, please call my family and let them know how much I love them.” After muffled voices, Beamer clearly answered, “Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.”
According to the 9/11 Commission Report, the passengers succeeded in storming the cockpit, where a violent assault occurred, during which the plane crashed into an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board.
Beamer was praised by American leaders for his heroism and courage. President George W. Bush used the words “Let’s roll” in several speeches, including the 2002 State of the Union address. Beamer and his fellow passenger are memorialized at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, and the National 9/11 Memorial in New York City.
Wheaton Academy commemorates the life of Todd Beamer in the Hanson Memorial Garden, and Wheaton Academy has named its annual golf outing the “Todd Beamer Benefit” in his honor.
