Beverly Eckert
Encyclopedia
Beverly Eckert 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.
, 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.
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.
, 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.
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/
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. She also spoke in opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Eckert was the co-chairperson of the group Voices of September 11th.
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.
in which she was to award a student with a memorial scholarship in Rooney's honor.
A week before her death, Eckert met with U.S. President Barack Obama, to discuss detainees at Guantanamo and other matters. 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."
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.
9/11 Family Steering Committee
The 9/11 Family Steering Committee was an organization of twelve relatives of victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Members of the Committee included the Jersey Girls...
for the 9/11 Commission
9/11 Commission
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to...
. 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
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
.
Eckert died at age 57 in a commuter aircraft accident
Aviation accidents and incidents
An aviation accident is defined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, in which a...
on February 12, 2009. She was travelling from Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
to Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Buffalo Niagara International Airport is an airport located in Cheektowaga CDP, Town of Cheektowaga, in Erie County, New York, USA. It is named after the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The airport serves Buffalo, New York as well as Southern Ontario, Canada...
aboard Colgan Air Flight 3407. The aircraft crashed in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center, New York
Clarence Center, New York
Clarence Center is a hamlet located in the Town of Clarence in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 1,747 at the 2000 census...
. She had met with President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
just a few days before her death in her role as an advocate for those affected by 9/11.
Before September 11 attack
Eckert was born in 1951 in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, and met her future husband, Sean P. Rooney, at a dance at Canisius High School
Canisius High School
Canisius High School is a Roman Catholic Jesuit private high school for young men. Canisius located at 1180 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York, United States, just north of the Delaware Avenue Historic District. Founded in 1870, the school has historical ties to Canisius College...
, a Jesuit-run academy in that city, when both were 16 years old. Eckert attended the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart
Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart
Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity private high school for young women located in Amherst, New York, United States. It is operated independent of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.-History:The Buffalo Academy of the...
, an all girls high school in Eggertsville, NY. She received a degree in fine arts in 1975 from Buffalo State College
Buffalo State College
The State University of New York College at Buffalo, referred to as Buffalo State College, often referred to colloquially as Buff State, is a public, liberal arts college in Buffalo, New York, United States and is part of the State University of New York. Buffalo State was founded in 1871 as the...
, 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.
The couple, who had no children and lived in the Glenbrook section of Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, had been married 21 years when Rooney died. Before Rooney's death, they had celebrated their 50th birthdays with vacations to Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, to mark his, and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, to mark hers.
September 11, 2001
When the planes hit the World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, 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.
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/
After September 11
9/11 Commission
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to...
, 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. She also spoke in opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Eckert was the co-chairperson of the group Voices of September 11th.
Locally, Eckert worked with Stamford city officials on various memorial projects. She left her job at General Re
General Re
Gen Re is a leading property/casualty and life/health reinsurance company and is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc.-History:General Reinsurance Corporation’s history began in 1921 when two Norwegian companies, Norwegian Globe and Norwegian Assurance, merged and took the name General Casualty and...
and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat For Humanity International , generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or simply Habitat, is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization devoted to building "simple, decent, and affordable" housing, a self-described "Christian housing ministry." The international...
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
Cove Island Park
Cove Island Park is a beach in The Cove section of Stamford, Connecticut, located on Long Island Sound. It is a popular spot for residents of Stamford to go rollerblading, biking and walking, as well as enjoy barbecues and ride the tram around the island....
where she and Rooney learned to in-line skate. At the Glenbrook train station
Glenbrook (Metro-North station)
The Glenbrook Metro-North Railroad station is located in Glenbrook section of Stamford, Connecticut, USA, along the New Canaan Branch of the New Haven Line.-Description:...
, 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.
Death
Beverly Eckert was killed on February 12, 2009 in the crash of Continental flight 3407 outside of Buffalo, New York. 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 SchoolCanisius High School
Canisius High School is a Roman Catholic Jesuit private high school for young men. Canisius located at 1180 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York, United States, just north of the Delaware Avenue Historic District. Founded in 1870, the school has historical ties to Canisius College...
in which she was to award a student with a memorial scholarship in Rooney's honor.
A week before her death, Eckert met with U.S. President Barack Obama, to discuss detainees at Guantanamo and other matters. 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."
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.