Mark Bingham
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Mark Kendall Bingham (May 22, 1970 – September 11, 2001) was an American public relations executive who founded his own company, the Bingham Group. He died at age 31 in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on board United Airlines Flight 93.
Bingham is believed to have been among the passengers who attempted to storm the cockpit to try to prevent the hijackers from using the plane to kill hundreds or thousands of additional victims. He made a brief cell phone call to his mother, Alice Hoagland, shortly before the plane went down. Hoagland, a former flight attendant with United Airlines, later left a voice mail message on his cell phone, instructing Bingham to reclaim the aircraft after it became apparent that Flight 93 was to be used in a suicide mission.
Bingham was survived by his former boyfriend of six years, Paul Holm, who says this was not the first time Bingham risked his life to protect the lives of others. In fact, he had twice successfully protected Holm from attempted muggings, one of which was at gunpoint. Holm describes Bingham as a brave, competitive man, saying, "He hated to lose — at anything." He was even known to proudly display a scar he received after being gored at the running of the bulls in Pamplona.
Bingham attended Los Gatos High School. He was a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where he was also president of his fraternity, Chi Psi. In college, he played for the UC Berkeley rugby team and helped them win a string of national championships.
A large athlete at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and 225 pounds (102 kg), he also played for the San Francisco Fog, a rugby union team.
[edit] Memorials
- John McCain and Barbara Boxer honored him in a ceremony for San Francisco Bay Area victims on September 17, 2001, presenting a folded American flag to Paul Holm.
- The Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament (Bingham Cup), an annual international rugby union competition predominantly for gay and bisexual men, was established in 2002 in his memory.
- Singer Melissa Etheridge dedicated the song "Tuesday Morning" in 2004 to his memory.
- Is portrayed in the 2004 solo musical ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Vol. 2 starring Jade Esteban Estrada.
- Is portrayed in the 2006 movie 'United 93' by Cheyenne Jackson.
- Is portrayed in the 2006 movie 'Flight 93' by Ty Olsson.
- Is portrayed in the 2005 movie 'The Flight That Fought Back' by Jason LeGrande.
[edit] References
- Jon Barrett. Hero of Flight 93: Mark Bingham, Advocate Books, 2002. Biography. ISBN 1-55583-780-8.
- UNITED FLIGHT 93: On Doomed Flight, Passengers Vowed to Perish Fighting, New York Times, 9/13/2001.
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[edit] External links
- Mark Bingham: a Tribute to a Wonderful Man, a Great Friend, a Loving Brother, and an American Hero.
- SFFOG.ORG Mark's rugby team, the S.F. Fog (Mark's Memorial page).
- msnbc.com story on what probably happened on the plane.
- Advocate Magazine article on Mark
- Mark Bingham Scholarship Fund
- Official Website of The Bingham Cup
- Mark Bingham on the Internet Movie Database
