[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 146 (Wednesday, November 13, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S10883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ALAN BEAVEN: IN MEMORIAM

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to share 
with my colleagues the memory of one of my constituents, Alan Beaven, 
who lost his life on September 11, 2001. Mr. Beaven was a 48-year-old 
environmental lawyer when the flight he was on, United Airlines Flight 
93, was hijacked by terrorists. As we all know, that plane crashed in a 
Pennsylvania field, killing everyone on board.
  Mr. Beaven was born in New Zealand and was educated at the University 
of Auckland, New Zealand where he was a recipient of the Butterworth 
Prize. He taught law and practiced in the areas of securities, class 
actions and environmental law in New Zealand, England, New York and 
California.
  Considered one of our nation's leading environmental lawyers, over 
the past nine years Mr. Beaven prosecuted nearly 100 clean water cases. 
His law firm partner, Joe Tabbacco, observes, ``This is an absolutely 
remarkable record. Alan's efforts had almost single-handedly cleaned up 
the waters in Northern California through his aggressive 
prosecutions.''
  California lost an environmental champion, and Mr. Beaven's family 
lost a loving and devoted husband and father. His proudest achievement 
was his family. His wife, Kimi Beaven, recalls, ``He would do anything 
for his children and spent hour after hour reading to Sonali, playing 
ball with John and scuba diving with Chris.''
  Mr. Beaven was flying back to California to prosecute one more water 
pollution case before taking a sabbatical in India where he was to 
volunteer his services as an environmental lawyer. Alan Beaven was one 
of many heroes on Flight 93 who, aware of the terrorist attacks on the 
World Trade Center and the Pentagon, chose to fight back against the 
hijacking terrorists. His voice was recognized by his family on the 
cockpit voice recorder, and his remains were found in the wreckage of 
the cockpit.
  His son John perhaps describes Alan Beaven best when he writes, ``His 
love for simplicity and genuine appreciation for the happiness he held 
within was not lost on others; friends would always leave his company 
with uplifted spirits.''
  Mr. President, 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 54 Californians who perished 
on that awful morning. I want to assure the family of Alan Beaven, 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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