Mark Bingham

Mark Kendall Bingham (May 22, 1970 in Phoenix, Arizona – September 11, 2001 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania) 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 airphone call to his mother, Alice Hoglan, shortly before the plane went down. Hoglan, 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. 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.

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 California Alumni Association of the University of California, Berkeley now annually awards the outstanding achievement of a young alumnus or alumna with the Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement at its Charter Gala each spring.
 * The Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament (Bingham Cup), a biannual international rugby union competition predominantly for gay and bisexual men, was established in 2002 in his memory.
 * Bingham was posthumously awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2002.
 * 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.