Zoe Falkenberg
Age: 8
Hometown: University Park, Md., USA
Occupation: N/a
Location: Passenger, American Flight 77, Pentagon
"There were a lot of rituals in that house! From early in her life, bedtime for Dana was a story in the living room on the couch with everyone listening. Afterwards, she was carried upstairs for a few songs in the rocking chair before being put down with her favorite stuffed 'Lambie.' Then, Zoe and both parents read together -- longer, more complicated books like all of Harry Potter, some Tolkien, many children's classics. Zoe usually had just one song in her bed; she was usually allowed to read on her own for a while. In her last summer, Dana, like most little 3-year-old girls, was fascinated by anything about princesses and stayed in costume much of the time. Part of the family Sunday morning ritual was reading The Washington Post, including the comics with the girls. They loved each other, loved being together, loved books, loved life." -- Ruth Koch, Leslie Whittington's mother, 'Nana' to the girls
Profile:
Zoe Falkenberg was the daughter of Charles Falkenberg and Leslie Whittington. Her sister was Dana Falkenberg.
"Above anything, they valued family. One of their last trips was to the West Coast with extended family.
While there Zoe took surfing lessons. With her family cheering her on and with her characteristic determination, she overcame her fears and rode the waves like a pro.
Much of her confidence came from Charlie, always an egalitarian. He refused to impose stereotypes on his daughters. When Zoe was about 2, he gave her a toy dump truck when she wanted pink ballet shoes. She never did warm up to construction equipment, but he was successful anyway- she never limited herself to narrow views of who she should be.
Dana, only 2 at the time of the trip, basked in the love of her family. After several days with 12 members of her extended family, the group was separated for a car trip. She looked around at the six family members in her car and asked, "Where are the rest of my people?"
Leslie, always full of warmth and wit, loved to tell stories about her girls. If she had lived long enough to return to the classroom, these stories and more would undoubtedly have found their way into her lectures. She called them her "Zoe-isms."
Source: The Washington Post, AP and washingtonpost.com
The profiles in this feature were written in the months following Sept. 11, 2001.
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A day after the 9/11 attacks a makeshift memorial was created on the Arlington Memorial Cemetery fence. Seven years later, the first 9/11 memorial is opening.
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