David Beamer, father of 9/11 hero, joins Milligan to honor local servant-leaders

Published 3:20 pm Friday, January 13, 2023

David Beamer, father of 9/11 hero Todd Beamer, joined Milligan University today to recognize nine leaders at the university’s 21st annual Leaders in Christian Service program.

The ceremony, held in Milligan’s Mary B. Martin Auditorium in Seeger Chapel, honored local leaders who demonstrate servant-leadership through their careers and in the community.

The university also recognized student servant-leaders with an award now named in memory of Todd Beamer, whose famous words, “Let’s roll,” became a symbol of American heroism after he and other passengers tried to reclaim United Flight 93 from hijackers. The plane eventually crashed into a Pennsylvania field, leaving no survivors.

“Todd Beamer epitomized servant-leadership in his daily life and on that fateful day,” said Milligan President Dr. Bill Greer. “It is with great honor that Milligan connects our student leaders to Todd’s legacy and welcomes his father to campus to recognize tremendous servant-leaders in our region.”

Now retired, keynote speaker David Beamer grew up on a dairy farm just outside of Homeworth, Ohio, and led an illustrious career in engineering, education and management. Beamer started as an engineer at the Guided Missiles Range Division in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the 1960s. He later worked in sales and executive education at IBM before rising to administrative capacities. He served as corporate officer and vice president of Amdahl Corp., president of Filatek, chief operating officer of Legato Systems and executive vice president of Legato Operations for EMC Corp.

The Beamers, along with their son, often attended a family ministry camp on Milligan’s campus. They played a valuable role in the Beamer Leadership Scholars Program at Milligan and established The Todd Beamer Scholarship at Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan in his memory.

This year marked the Leaders in Christian Service ceremony’s return to campus since January 2020, and it opened the university’s commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Milligan’s mission is to educate men and women to be servant-leaders, and we are grateful to be able to gather again to honor individuals whose lives of service have made a positive impact on our community and our world,” said Greer. “As we do so today, we also honor the memory and influence of Martin Luther King Jr., whose impact on the world was profound.”

The 2023 Leaders in Christian Service honorees include:

Lilo Duncan, of Elizabethton, is a retired educator. She attends St. Elizabeth Catholic Church.

Lois Greenwell, of Johnson City, is a retired accountant and office manager for Blackburn, Childers & Steagall, CPAs. She is a member of First Christian Church in Johnson City.

Wes Hanson, of Roan Mountain, is the chief medical officer for Rural Health Services Consortium. He attends First Baptist Church in Roan Mountain.

Jill Hughes of Johnson City, is a nurse practitioner with Ballad Health. She attends Fairview Baptist Church.

Jeff Lucas, of Johnson City, is an architect and a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Angie Phipps, of Johnson City, is a travel agent and a member of First Christian Church in Johnson City.

Carmella Price, of Elizabethton, is the retired president of Security Federal Bank of Elizabethton. She attends Central Christian Community Church.

The Todd Beamer Student Leaders in Christian Service include:

Loren Hensley, of Piney Flats, is a senior at Sullivan East High School where she is president of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Future Business Leaders of America, as well as captain of the soccer team. She attends Fellowship Baptist Church.

Madeline Manear, of Baltimore, Md., is a senior at Milligan majoring in church leadership and minoring in business administration and the humanities. She is the chair of the university’s Apostolos Student Missions Club, a member of the leadership team for Milligan’s Ministry Leadership Program, captain of the flag football team for two years, team manager for the softball team and a resident assistant. She has served as a college ministry volunteer at City View Church and First Christian Church in Johnson City.