THOMAS E. BURNETT, JR.:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Burnett, Thomas E., Jr., 1963-2001, creator. | |
| Title: | Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. papers. | |
| Dates: | 1980-2011 (bulk 2001). | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Biographical information, information about school activities, speeches, career-related materials, news articles and published materials, tributes and memories, emails, letters of condolence, faxes, and memorial letters and cards received by the parents and the employer of a Bloomington, Minnesota native who was one of the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who lost their lives attempting to take back control of their hijacked airliner from Al-Qaeda terrorists over Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. | |
| Quantity: | 2.0 cubic feet (2 boxes). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Thomas "Tom" Edward Burnett, Jr. was born in Bloomington, Minnesota May 29, 1963, the only son of Thomas and Beverly Burnett. He was a graduate of Jefferson High School (Bloomington, Minn.), the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and Pepperdine University (Malibu, Calif.). Burnett was senior vice president and chief operating officer of Thoratec Corporation, a medical devices company based in Pleasanton, California.
On September 11, 2001 Burnett was a passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93 out of Newark, New Jersey, returning to his home in California after a business trip. Approximately 45 minutes after takeoff, Al-Qaeda militants stormed the cockpit and took control of the plane, purporting to have a bomb. Burnett, along with fellow passengers Mark Bingham and Jeremy Glick, led the group that attempted to recapture control of the plane from the hijackers. The actions of Burnett and other passengers thwarted the Al-Qaeda suicide bombers from using the plane as a weapon on a heavily populated building but at the cost of their lives and the lives of everyone on board. There were no survivors when Flight 93 was crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Burnett is buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. He was survived by his wife Deena and four daughters.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 17,229
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 990089527340104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| 141.A.19.2F | 1 | Biographical information, school activities, and speeches and other materials related to Burnett's career, undated, 1980-2001. | |||||||||
| Includes a college essay written by Tom titled "Why is the United States the focus of so much terrorism?" | |||||||||||
| News articles and published materials, September 2001-September 2003. 6 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes articles reflecting initial reaction to the events, Flight 93 and the flight recorder release controversy, biographical information on Flight 93 passengers, interviews with Deena Burnett, memorials and tributes, Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. Post Office in Bloomington, interviews with Tom Sr. and Beverly Burnett, and miscellaneous published materials. | |||||||||||
| Thoratec memories of Tom Burnett, Jr.: | |||||||||||
| Internal response to Burnett's death, September-November 2001. | |||||||||||
| Thoratec message board, September 2001. | |||||||||||
| Includes postings from clients and the public with memories of Burnett's life and condolences upon his death. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, September-November 2001. 13 folders. | |||||||||||
| Emails, letters and faxes from clients and other individuals throughout the United States and abroad. Includes materials relating to musical dedication, and fundraising materials for the Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. Family Memorial Fund. | |||||||||||
| Memorial letters and cards: | |||||||||||
| To Burnett family from friends and other individuals: | |||||||||||
| Mainly condolences sent by friends of the family and church organizations, and letters and cards from individuals unknown to the Burnetts. | |||||||||||
| undated, September 2001-2011. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 141.A.19.3B | 2 | undated, September 2001-2011. 10 folders. | |||||||||
| From students: | |||||||||||
| Elementary students, September 2001. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Middle school students, September-October 2001. | |||||||||||
| From students at middle schools across the United States. | |||||||||||
| St. Dominic School, October 2004. | |||||||||||
| Sent after Tom Sr. and Beverly Burnett visited the school and spoke to the children. | |||||||||||
| Mooresville Middle School, September 2011. | |||||||||||
| From institutions and organizations, September 2001-2003. | |||||||||||
RELATED MATERIAL
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Heroes -- Minnesota.
- Hijacking of aircraft -- United States.
- Terrorism -- United States.
- United Airlines Flight 93 Hijacking Incident, 2001.
- Organizations:
- Qaida (Organization)
- Thoratec Corporation.
- Places:
- Bloomington (Minn.)
- Shanksville (Pa.)
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