1. FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Eckert
Beverly Eckert
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beverly Eckert
Beverly Eckert shaking hands with President of the
United States Barack Obama less than a week before her
death.
May 29, 1951
Born
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
February 12, 2009 (aged 57)
Died
Clarence Center, New York, U.S.
Cause of death Plane crash
Nationality American
Education Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart
State University of New York at
Alma mater
Buffalo
Member of 9/11 Family Steering
Known for
Committee

2. Died on Colgan Air Flight 3407
Sean Rooney (m. 1980 - 2001; his
Spouse
death in September 11 attacks)
Beverly Eckert (May 29, 1951 – February 12, 2009) was an activist and advocate for the creation of the 9/11
Commission. She was one of the members of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Commission.
Eckert's husband, Sean Rooney, died aged 50 in the attacks of September 11, 2001. She pushed for a commission
to investigate 9/11 and to establish a memorial.
Eckert died at age 57 in a commuter aircraft accident on February 12, 2009. She was travelling from Newark
Liberty International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport aboard Colgan Air Flight 3407. The aircraft
crashed in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center, New York. She had met with President Barack Obama just a few
days before her death in her role as an advocate for those affected by 9/11.
Contents
[hide]
 1 Before September 11 attack
 2 September 11, 2001
 3 After September 11
 4 Death
 5 References
[edit] Before September 11 attack
Eckert was born in 1951 in Buffalo, New York, and met her future husband, Sean P. Rooney, at a dance at
Canisius High School, a Jesuit-run academy in that city, when both were 16 years old. Eckert attended the Buffalo
Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all girls high school in Eggertsville, NY. She received a degree in fine arts in
1975 from Buffalo State College, where in 2005 she gave the Baccalaureate Commencement Address. Rooney
lived in Buffalo until 1978, working as a manager of restaurants, until he began working in the financial services
industry and moving to Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut. When he died he was a vice president for risk
management services at the Aon Corporation. He worked on the 98th floor of the World Trade Center's south
tower, one of 32 employees in Aon's offices there.[1]
The couple, who had no children and lived in the Glenbrook section of Stamford, Connecticut, had been married
21 years when Rooney died. Before Rooney's death, they had celebrated their 50th birthdays with vacations to
Vermont, to mark his, and Morocco, to mark hers.[1]
[edit] September 11, 2001
When the planes hit the World Trade Center, Rooney called his wife and exchanged voice mail messages with her.
To get to safety, he made his way to the 105th floor of his building, trying to reach the roof, when he became
trapped until the tower collapsed, killing him.[1][2]
After Eckert learned about the attacks, she went home and stayed on the phone with her husband until she heard
the tower collapse. She described the incident in a Storycorps interview, heard here:
http://storycorps.org/listen/stories/beverly-eckert/ [3]

3. [edit] After September 11
Eckert commissioned this mural at Glenbrook train station, where her husband had once waited during his commute to work.
The image depicts her husband's favorite golf course. [4]
Plaque at the mural at Glenbrook train station
Eckert became a leading activist among 9/11 victims' families, joining with others in lobbying for creation of the
9/11 Commission, improvements to national security, and for creation of a memorial at the World Trade Center
site. In pressing federal elected officials to do a better job in protecting Americans from terrorism, she was among
a number of 9/11 victims' family members active in pressing for sweeping reforms of U.S. intelligence.[5] She also
spoke in opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.[3][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Eckert was the co-chairperson of the group Voices of September 11th.[12]
Locally, Eckert worked with Stamford city officials on various memorial projects. She left her job at General Re
and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and, beginning in September 2008, as a tutor at the Julia A. Stark
Elementary School. She was also a member of the Glenbrook Neighborhood Association. In honor of her husband
and other victims, Eckert planted birch trees near a trail in Cove Island Park where she and Rooney learned to in-
line skate. At the Glenbrook train station, where her husband commuted to work, she commissioned a mural and
planted a sycamore tree as a memorial. Shortly before her death, she joined a neighborhood association committee
to improve the station.[3]
[edit] Death
Beverly Eckert was killed on February 12, 2009 in the crash of Continental flight 3407 outside of Buffalo, New
York.[13] She was traveling to Buffalo for a gathering with her family to mark what would have been Rooney's 58th
birthday on February 15. A ceremony had also been scheduled at Canisius High School in which she was to award
a student with a memorial scholarship in Rooney's honor.

4. A week before her death, Eckert met with U.S. President Barack Obama, to discuss detainees at Guantanamo and
other matters.[14] In a press conference after her death, Obama described her as a "tireless advocate for the families,
those whose lives were forever changed on that September day."[14]
On June 18, 2009, Margaux Eckert, executrix of her sister's estate, filed a lawsuit in New Haven, Connecticut
against Colgan Air, Pinnacle Air, and Continental Airlines, claiming they were responsible for the crash.[15]
[edit] References
Biography portal
1. ^ a b c Chan, Sewell (February 14, 2009). "Beverly Eckert, Leader of Families of 9/11 Victims, Dies at 57". The New
York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
2. ^ http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/norwalkadvocate/ci_11705423
3. ^ a b c Potts, Monica and Martin Cassidy, "Neighbors: 'For this to happen just seems unreal': 'A deeply felt loss'
among neighbors in Stamford", article, February 14, 2009, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, retrieved same
day
4. ^ Porstner, Donna (September 9, 2006). "Places to pay tribute". Stamford Advocate.
5. ^ Silva, Mark, "Beverly Eckert: Crash victim, 9/11 widow", blog post, February 13, 2009, The Swamp blog of the
Chicago Tribune, retrieved February 14, 2009
6. ^ "Beverly Eckert, 9/11 widow, champions intelligence reform legislation". US News and World Report. 2004-12-
13. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
7. ^ "Sky News report". Sky News. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
8. ^ "Fiery plane crash near Buffalo, NY, kills 50". News.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2009-02-14.[dead link]
9. ^ Linstedt, Sharon (2009-02-13). "Beverly Eckert, widow of 9/11 victim, was aboard Flight 3407". The Buffalo
News. Retrieved 2009-02-14.[dead link]
10. ^ "Clinton: People of WNY will pull together". WROC-TV. 2009-02-13. Retrieved 2009-02-13.[dead link]
11. ^ "My Silence Cannot Be Bought", article by Eckert, reprinted from USA Today, December 19, 2003
12. ^ Voices of September 11th
13. ^ http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1220-04.htm
14. ^ a b Vogel, Charity, "Passengers and crew aboard Flight 3407: Their stories", article, February 14, 2009, The Buffalo
News, retrieved same day
15. ^ http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/06/18/Suit_Filed_in_Airline_Death_of_9_11_Spokesperson.htm