September 11 • 25 years later
They were a teacher, an entrepreneur and an Army officer. Their Divine Nine letters matter—but they do not contain the whole of their lives. On the 25th anniversary of September 11, we remember James D. Debeuneure, Eddie A. Dillard and Lt. Col. Karen J. Wagner through the people they served and the futures they were still building.
The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial honors 184 people killed when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and flown into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. This FraternityRings.com remembrance focuses on three of those individuals whose Divine Nine membership can be supported by public memorial records. It is not presented as a complete list of every D9 member affected by the attacks.
James D. Debeuneure: the teacher who made education an experience
More mentor than teacher
James Daniel Debeuneure was 58. A graduate of Johnson C. Smith University, he earned a degree in psychology with a sociology minor and was an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi. His working life moved through education, equal-opportunity work, publishing and small business before he returned to the classroom.
At Ketchum Elementary School in Washington, D.C., Debeuneure taught fifth grade and invested time in sports, educational travel and student safety patrol. His family’s description of him is the part worth holding close: he was remembered as more of a mentor than simply a teacher.
On September 11, Debeuneure was aboard Flight 77 with fellow teacher Hilda E. Taylor and students Asia Cottom, Bernard Brown II and Rodney Dickens. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s timeline preserves an image of the school group before boarding. They were traveling for an educational program—an ordinary act of teaching made devastating by what followed.
Eddie A. Dillard: a life that kept opening new chapters
History, enterprise and a memorable laugh
Eddie A. Dillard was 54. Born in Alabama and raised in Gary, Indiana, he studied at Tennessee State University before earning a history degree from Bishop College in 1969. The Pentagon Memorial’s biography explicitly identifies him as a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.
Dillard built a long professional career that included operating a 7-Eleven and spending 19 years with Philip Morris. Retirement did not become stillness. He moved into real estate, buying and selling property while continuing to follow current events, golf, dominoes and bid whist.
The official memorial account does not reduce him to a résumé. It remembers his smile, sharp dress, distinctive laugh and spirited conversations. Dillard was aboard Flight 77, traveling toward California, when the plane was hijacked.
Lt. Col. Karen J. Wagner: leadership grounded in human connection
Seventeen years of Army service
Lt. Col. Karen J. Wagner was 40 and had served in the Army for 17 years. A 1984 ROTC graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she became a medical personnel officer in the Office of the Army Surgeon General and Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel. She had received a promotion only a month before September 11.
Her assignments included leadership roles at Fort Lee, Fort Sam Houston, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and an evacuation hospital in Germany. Her service and death at the Pentagon are documented by both the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial and the U.S. Army.
Wagner’s Delta Sigma Theta membership is identified in a public remembrance from the Pentagon Memorial Fund. We are stating that affiliation because it is directly attributed by the institution responsible for the Pentagon memorial—not because of clothing, colors, social-media speculation or an unverified list.
Her sister remembered a woman who never met a stranger and never forgot someone once they had met. Wagner loved running, basketball and baking. She was also imagining a second act beyond military service, possibly teaching overseas or creating a cooking program with her sister. Remembering that unfinished future is part of remembering her.
What their membership adds—and what it does not replace
Divine Nine membership gives us another community through which to say their names. It connects these individual stories to traditions of achievement, scholarship, service and lifelong fellowship. But the letters should never flatten the person.
Debeuneure was a father and educator. Dillard was a husband, father, history lover and entrepreneur. Wagner was a daughter, sister, athlete and soldier. Their fraternity and sorority affiliations belong inside those larger lives.
How to honor them beyond one post
Remembrance becomes more meaningful when it moves us toward action. Mentor a student. Learn the biography behind a memorial name. Support responsible historical education. Reach out to someone whose service is usually taken for granted. And when sharing a person’s D9 affiliation, verify it before turning it into content.
The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial provides biographies and an interactive map for the 184 people honored there. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum also maintains the names inscribed at the World Trade Center memorial.
Frequently asked questions
Were these three individuals verified Divine Nine members?
Yes. The Pentagon Memorial biographies explicitly identify James D. Debeuneure and Eddie A. Dillard as Kappa Alpha Psi members. The Pentagon Memorial Fund publicly identifies Lt. Col. Karen J. Wagner as a Delta Sigma Theta member.
Is this a complete list of D9 members lost on September 11?
No. This article profiles three individuals whose affiliations could be supported by the cited public records. It does not claim that they were the only Divine Nine members killed or affected.
Did all three die at the Pentagon?
Debeuneure and Dillard were passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 77. Wagner was working inside the Pentagon. All three are among the 184 people honored by the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.
Is FraternityRings.com affiliated with the memorials or the organizations in this story?
No. This is an independent editorial remembrance. It is not sponsored, approved or endorsed by the Pentagon Memorial Fund, Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta or the families profiled.
Verified sources
- National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial: James D. Debeuneure
- National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial: Eddie A. Dillard
- National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial: Lt. Col. Karen J. Wagner
- U.S. Army: Wagner remembered in September 11 tribute
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum interactive timeline
- Pentagon Memorial Fund remembrance identifying Wagner’s Delta Sigma Theta affiliation
Independent editorial disclaimer: FraternityRings.com is not the organizer or operator of the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial and is not affiliated with the families discussed here. Organization names are used only to report verified biographical information. Portraits are credited to the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. No endorsement is stated or implied.
