[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15688-15689]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORIAM: CAROLYN BEUG

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to take this 
opportunity to share with the Senate the memory of one of my 
constituents, Carolyn Beug, who lost her life on September 11, 2001. 
Mrs. Beug was 48 years old when the plane she was on, American Airlines 
Flight 11, was hijacked by terrorists. As we all know, that plane 
crashed into the World Trade Center, killing everyone on board.
  Carolyn Beug and her mother, Mary Alice Wahlstrom, were traveling 
together on that tragic day. They were returning to their homes after 
having settled Mrs. Beug's twin daughters at the Rhode Island School of 
Design. This American family lost two dearly beloved women on September 
11th. Their story is one of a commitment to love conquering hate, even 
in the face of unimaginable sorrow and loss. ``The one thing those 
terrorists cannot destroy is love. They cannot destroy the love we have 
in this family, and the love people have for each other,'' says 
Margaret Wahlstrom, Carolyn Beug's sister-in-law.
  Mrs. Beug, the daughter of an Air Force colonel, was a citizen of the

[[Page 15689]]

world. She grew up in many places, including Pennsylvania, South Korea 
and Utah. Carolyn Beug was a successful accountant, CFO, and real 
estate developer. She was a music industry executive, music video 
producer and director. Mrs. Beug helped establish a center for 
underprivileged children in Los Angeles and won the 1992 MTV Video of 
the Year award for directing a video by the rock group Van Halen. She 
was the wife of John Beug and mother of Lauren, Lindsay and Nicky. In 
1998, Mrs. Beug left the music industry to write a book and to devote 
more time to her family.
  When her daughters joined the Santa Monica High School Track Team, 
Mrs. Beug became actively involved as the team mother. She was 
affectionately known as ``Momma Bunny'' and she attended every meet, 
cheering on the team and purchasing new shoes, uniforms and sweats when 
needed. At the end of every season, she hosted the team banquet at the 
Beug family home. ``She always called the kids on the team ``my little 
bunnies,'' recalls her husband, John.
  ``Such an electric and peripatetic personality leaves an impression 
wherever she goes, whether that's a corporate boardroom, a movie 
studio, a children's shelter, a high school stadium, or a home on a 
quiet tree lined street. The impressions she left, a bright smile, a 
heartfelt belly laugh, a nugget of wisdom, an odd take on a song, a 
whispered secret, a motherly embrace are permanent,'' adds John Beug.
  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 51 Californians who perished on 
that awful morning. I want to assure the family of Carolyn Beug, 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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