[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 108 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7878-S7879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      IN MEMORIAM: MARI-RAE SOPPER

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to take this 
opportunity to share with the Senate the memory of one of my 
constituents, Mari-Rae Sopper, who lost her life on September 11, 2001. 
Ms. Sopper was a 35-year-old lawyer and gymnastics coach when the 
flight she was on, American Airlines Flight 77, was hijacked by 
terrorists. As we all know, that plane crashed into the Pentagon, 
killing everyone on board.
  Ms. Sopper was a native of Inverness, Illinois and attended William 
Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois. At the age of 15 she set the 
goal of becoming a champion gymnast. She succeeded, becoming all-
American in four events, the school's Athlete of the Year and the 
State's Outstanding Senior Gymnast of the Year.
  Larry Petrillo, her high school gymnastics coach, remembers her as 
brash and committed. ``One thing she taught me is, you never settle for 
less than you are capable of. We should never accept limits. We should 
always fight the good fight. She was a staunch supporter of gymnastics 
and what's right,'' he recalls.
  Upon graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in exercise 
science, Ms. Sopper earned a master's degree in athletics 
administration

[[Page S7879]]

from the University of North Texas and a law degree from the University 
of Denver. Ms. Sopper was an accomplished dancer and choreographer and 
continued to coach at gymnastics clubs.
  Ms. Sopper practiced law as a Lieutenant in the Navy's JAG Corps, 
focusing on defense and appellate defense. She had left the Navy JAG 
Corps and was an associate with the law firm Schmeltzer, Aptaker & 
Sheperd, P.C. when she found her dream job: to coach the women's 
gymnastics team at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
  It was a one year appointment and Ms. Sopper was looking forward to 
the challenge. Her mother, Marion Kminek, says Mari-Rae was excited 
about the opportunity. ``I said go for it. Life is too short. It was 
something she had always wanted to do and she was so happy and 
excited,'' recalls Kminek.
  At the time of her death, Ms. Sopper was moving to Santa Barbara to 
begin her appointment. Her close friend, Mike Jacki, recalls ``This was 
to be a new adventure for Mari-Rae, and an opportunity to get back into 
the sport she loved. We have lost a very special person. She was 
prepared to make her dream come true, and in an instant it was gone.''
  Mari-Rae Sopper is remembered for her loyalty, strong values, 
excellent work ethic and spirit for life. She is survived by her 
mother, Marion Kminek and stepfather, Frank Kminek, her father Bill 
Sopper, sister Tammy and many loving friends.
  None of us is untouched by the terror of September 11th, and many 
Californians were part of each tragic moment of that tragic day. Some 
were trapped in the World Trade Center towers. Some were at work in the 
Pentagon. And the fates of some were sealed as they boarded planes 
bound for San Francisco or Los Angeles.
  I offer today this tribute to one of the 51 Californians who perished 
on that awful morning. I want to assure the family of Mari-Rae Sopper, 
and the families of all the victims, that their fathers and mothers, 
sons and daughters, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters will not be 
forgotten.

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