Utah family that lost loved ones on 9/11 tell their story to keep history alive

KAYSVILLE — Margaret Wahlstrom and her daughter, Mallory Wahlstrom Wright, continue to mourn the loss of their family members, Mary Alice Wahlstrom, and her daughter, Carolyn Beug. Both were killed as the plane they were in collided with the north trade tower in New York City, on Sept. 11, 2001. Wright remembers that as a young seventh grader, she looked up to her aunt Carolyn. Beug worked at the time with Disney Studios and helped produce music videos.

"She looks so much like my dad," Wright said, looking at a memorial bearing Beug's picture in Kaysville."I hope I'm that kind of presence for my nieces and nephews, because I really loved her and I feel so robbed of not knowing her longer."

Wahlstrom also speaks highly of Mary Alice Wahlstrom, who was her mother-in-law.

"We used to tell Mary Alice that she would live to be at least a hundred," she said. "She was a very young person and vibrant."

Since the attacks 25 years ago, the two have continued to tell their story to anyone who will listen. Wahlstrom even makes annual stops in her son's history class to help teach the lessons about that day.

"When I think back on it now, one of my first thoughts is about all of the love and compassion and unity, and everything that happened because of it at that time," Wahlstrom said. "I think that's what's missing in today's world a little bit is our personal connections with each other."

As the country recovered, rebuilt, and grieved together, Wahlstrom and Wright say they saw a continued outpouring of love from around the world that lasted for months. Wright worries that type of response might not exist today. She says she worries when she sees major tragedies in the news.

"I just always kind of pause and I feel for the families, because I think we've lost a sense of humanity in a way," she explained. "I worry that that doesn't really exist anymore because of social media and online discourse ... that creates so much conflict."

"I think that's what's missing in today's world a little bit is our personal connections with each other," Wahlstrom added. "We did have that after 9/11, and that's what helped us survive"

Sitting across from a community memorial and a statue of a firefighter, holding a child, Wahlstrom picked up a square piece of metal that she brought with her.

"This is a piece of recovered steel from the World Trade Center," she said. "I've always thought of it as a metaphor about our strength, and I feel like the human spirit is even stronger than the strength of this steel, because I watched it happen."

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