Sep 30, 2020

Additions to WSU's Memorial '70 complete story of survivors, teammates

Posted Sep 30, 2020 3:33 PM
<b>Part of WSU's Memorial '70.</b> Photo courtesy WSU
Part of WSU's Memorial '70. Photo courtesy WSU

The idea started in 2010, after Randy Phillips visited Randy Jackson in his hospital room. Talking with Jackson brought back memories of Wichita State University football and the events that brought them together.

The visit also highlighted lost memories from the 1970 plane crash in Colorado.

“I had just left Randy Jackson’s hospital room as he was passing away and realized, at that time, I couldn’t recall all the survivors’ names,” Phillips said. “I wanted to finish the whole story.”

The story, told for years by the Memorial ’70 monument near the 18th Street and Hillside entrance to campus, now feels complete. A new sculpture recognizes the survivors of the crash. The names of teammates who landed safely in Utah that day are a fitting addition to the existing upright Memorial ’70 monument.

“One of the main reasons we did what we did was so the future generations would know that there were survivors,” Phillips said, “and how their lives were impacted, especially since they lived when so many didn’t. Most, if not all, suffered greatly in silence.”

The desire to honor teammates by telling the story of the crash motivated Phillips, as it has so many connected to the crash on Oct. 2, 1970 near Silver Plume, Colorado. The Memorial ’70 monument honors the 31 people – 14 student-athletes, 14 staff and boosters, and three crew members – who died as a result. The team was headed to Utah State for a game the next day.

Jackson, who died in July 2010 of pancreatic cancer, was one of the nine survivors of the crash.

The story includes those who carried on without their teammates. They keep their memory alive by telling the story, visiting the crash site on Mount Trelease and helping each other heal through the survivor’s guilt and pain.

Phillips and Bill Moore, a freshman on the 1970 team, started a fund-raising drive to add to the Memorial ’70 monument. Phillips transferred to Wichita State in 1971 to play quarterback and help the program rebuild.

“Randy came to me and said we ought to be doing something for these guys,” Moore said. “It’s important that we recognize (the survivors), particularly, because it’s been tough on them.”

Funded by around $25,000 in private donations, the additions recognize the burdens carried by the survivors and their teammates.

The new monument is designed in the shape of the fuselage near the wing, the area of the plane that broke open and allowed room for some people to escape. The monument features the names of the eight Shockers who survived the crash of the "Gold plane" (a pilot also survived).

The names of the members of the team who flew on the "Black plane" complete the upright monument that signifies the plane that landed safely in Logan, Utah.

“This is simple, and it tells the story,” Moore said.

The monument that lists the 31 names of those who died is unchanged. Moore contacted many of the families of the deceased to make sure they approved of the additions.

“We really wanted to be respectful of what this is about,” Phillips said.

Phillips, a partner at the Wichita architectural firm of Spangenberg Phillips Tice, designed the sculpture that features the survivors, with help from graphic designer Jason Ridder. Phillips and Moore worked with Ann Marie Siegwarth, director of development for the WSU Foundation, on the approval and details of installation. Updated landscaping around Memorial ’70 is also part of the new look.

“It’s been a great team effort,” Phillips said. “The university has been a wonderful partner to us, and much of that support is the direct result of Ann Marie Siegwarth’s unfailing support and promise to keep this a simple team effort.” 

Never forgotten

In an annual ceremony of remembrance, a wreath is placed at Wichita State's Memorial '70 at 9 a.m. each Oct. 2. The brief ceremony honors WSU football players, administrators and supporters who died in a plane crash October 2, 1970.

This year the ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday in Cessna Stadium. Face coverings and social distancing, when possible, are expected. Please note: Face coverings must properly worn over your nose and mouth when in public spaces, or outdoor settings on campus when six feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained.

In one of the worst tragedies of college sports history, the WSU "Gold" plane, a Martin 404 carrying 34 passengers and a crew of four, crashed at approximately 3 p.m. on a mountain near Silver Plume, Colorado while en route to Logan, Utah for a game with Utah State University.

Twenty-nine persons died at the scene, while two others died later after receiving medical attention for their injuries.

This time of remembrance is to acknowledge the changes that the plane crash made in the lives of the victims, their families, their friends, and the university.