Lynn Edwards Angell
Lynn Edwards Angell (born August 11, 1949 in Birmingham; died September 11, 2001 in New York, New York) was a librarian and volunteer, the wife of Hollywood writer/producer David Angell, and, along with her husband, a victim of the September 11, 2001 hijacking of American Airlines Flight 11.
Lynn Edwards was the daughter of Thomas and Marylin Edwards of Birmingham. She graduated from Shades Valley High School in 1967 and from Auburn University in 1971. She met David Angell while they were both working in Cape Cod, Massachusetts for the summer. They were married in Birmingham on August 14, 1971 and lived in Providence, Rhode Island. He did technical writing while she pursued a career as a librarian.
The Angells moved to Hollywood so that David could try to break into television writing, which he did with a script for "Archie Bunker". Later, his "Old Flame" episode of Cheers won an Emmy for Best Comedy Writing in a Series. He joined David Lee and Peter Casey in Grubstreet Productions and together they created and produced the television series "Wings" and "Frasier".
After David Angell's success was secure, Lynn "retired" from her job and accepted a volunteer position with the Hillsides Home for Children, a refuge for abused and emotionally troubled children in Pasadena, California. Unbeknownst to the director, she also made numerous financial contributions to the school and took a personal interest in the lives of the 60-plus students— paying for golf lessons and other activities, and sending postcards to each of them when she was vacationing.
Lynn and David were traveling together shortly after their 30th wedding anniversary when their flight, American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles, was hijacked by five men led by Egyptian Mohamed Atta al Sayed, and flown into the World Trade Center's north tower at 8:46 AM EDT, killing all aboard and initiating the catastrophic terror events of September 11.
The Angells had been preparing to move to Chatham, Massachusetts. They were traveling to California to attend the 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, for which "Frasier" had been nominated in the "Outstanding Comedy Series" category.
The couple's Los Angeles-based Angell Foundation, which they established in 1996, continues to promote equity and compassion through philanthropy. The library at Hillsides Home was renamed the Lynn Angell Memorial Children’s Library in her honor.
References
- "Lynn Edwards Angell: And Hers Was There, Too" (November 26, 2001) The New York Times.
- Taylor, Drew (September 11, 2021) "20 years after 9/11, Mountain Brook woman’s legacy remains larger than her death." CBS42.com
External links
- Angell Foundation website