FACE TO FACE
Wheaton Christian Grammar School Onboard United Flight 93 Roger Burgess
Some of us remember exactly where we were when the tragic news came out of Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963— President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Even more of us know exactly where we were on September 11, 2001, when we heard and then quickly watched two planes crashing into the World Trade Center, one slamming into the Pentagon. and a final plane spiraling down into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. But it’s the estimated 75 million Americans who have been born since September 11, 2001, that prompted me to tell you about Todd Beamer and United Flight 93.
Wheaton Christian Grammar School Todd was born near Flint, Michigan, in November 1968, where he lived for six years. The Beamer family moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, for a couple of years before his parents settled in Glen Ellyn, just a mile from the old Wheaton Christian Grammar School on Harrison Street. Todd attended the grammar school for grades 4-8, and his parents put a high value on family loyalty, faith in God and personal integrity. Todd stood out for many reasons—his sense of humor and heartwarming smile, his positive spirit, his athletic ability and his work ethic. A quiet young man with an inner strength, Todd wasn’t one to draw attention to himself, as some junior-highers are prone to do. On the soccer field and basketball court, Todd was focused and intense, and one of the hardest working athletes I have ever coached. Off the court, Todd was a friendly, humble and thoughtful gentleman. I cannot think of a better combination. In addition to teaching Todd Bible and math in junior high, I coached him in seventh-grade soccer and basketball. I remember one specific basketball game that epitomizes Todd. We were playing one of our rivals, Timothy Christian, when he was fouled with 2.4 seconds left, and we were losing, 43-42. Todd was at the free throw line for a one-and-one. If he missed the first shot, he would not be given the second. He was calm under pressure and didn’t lose his focus. He sank the first to tie the game. Then he made the second shot. We won, 44-43! In the 13 years I coached seventh-grade basketball, Todd was my top scorer. (I can’t believe Todd’s dad actually took this picture!) Bottom line, we were never out of a game because he and his teammates wouldn’t quit. It wasn’t in his vocabulary.
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And when the game was on the line, I was glad the ball was in Todd’s hands. I don’t want you to think Todd was perfect. I’ll tell you that he wasn’t the best student. He had Bs and Cs on his report cards with a few As. As an adult, he was not very handy around the house. The most valuable item in his toolbox wasn’t a tool; it was a piece of paper with the phone number of his friend Doug who could fix anything. It encouraged me, however, that the selfless attitude I saw in junior high was also evident in Todd’s death. He was a person of character who knew what he stood for. He was a man of faith. That began when, as a boy of 10, he committed his life to Jesus Christ. When his character and conviction were tested, he responded in a manner consistent with his entire life. In the Flight 93 Museum, there is a display of the book, A Life of Integrity, by Howard Hendricks. The sign reads: “Todd Beamer was studying this book with his church men’s group prior to his trip on September 11.” Todd and Lisa married in 1994 and lived in New Jersey where Todd worked for the Oracle Corporation, then the world’s second largest computer software company. God blessed them with a couple of boys David and Drew. Even though he lived in New Jersey, Todd remained a loyal fan of the Bulls, Bears and Cubs. The week prior to September 11, 2001, Todd and Lisa were in Italy on a trip Todd had won at work. Lisa was 4½ months pregnant at the time. They returned home on September 10, excited to see their boys again, before Dad headed off to San Francisco early the next morning.
