0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Huntington attorney John Proctor to speak at Nov. 14 memorial service Huntington attorney John Proctor, whose parents were among the 75 victims of the 1970 Marshall University plane crash, will be the featured speaker in this year's annual memorial service honoring all who died in the tragedy. The service, conducted by Marshall's Student Government Association, starts at noon Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Memorial Student Center plaza on the Huntington campus. The public is invited to attend. The crash on Saturday, Nov. 14, 1970, occurred at about 7:47 p.m. when a DC-9 jetliner, returning Marshall home from its football game at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., clipped some treetops just short of Tri-State Airport and went down. Victims included Marshall football players, coaches, staff and supporters, along with the crew of five. Proctor, who was 5 years old when the plane crashed, was the youngest of five sons and daughters of H.D. "Pete" Proctor and his wife, Courtney Josephine Proctor, both of whom died in the crash. The other surviving children were John's sister Courtney, who was 6; his sister Patricia, who was 8; his brother, Jim, who was 17, and his sister Kim, who was 19. "I don't remember a whole lot about it," Proctor said of the crash. "Not until I was about eight years old when other kids talked about it did I even realize it. The first distinctive memories I have are from the third grade on. The brain is a wonderful thing. I'm not sure if I was too young or what." Proctor said he is uncertain what he will talk about in his speech on Nov. 14. "I'm really not sure, honestly," Proctor said. He said he is thankful to have grown up under the guidance of many people. "In a way, I'm blessed," Proctor said. "I was raised by my family and my friends, and my parents' friends and people who loved them." H.D. "Pete" Proctor graduated from Marshall University and received his medical degree from the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga. A Navy veteran of World War II, he was one of the team's physicians. He was 43 years old when he died. E. J. Hassan, president of Marshall's student body, spoke of the importance of the ceremony 43 years after the crash. "The Memorial Ceremony is the pinnacle of our university in terms of honoring our history as well as remembering the lives that were taken from our university community in 1970," Hassan said. "It is an absolute honor for me personally to help in the planning of this ceremony, and it is my hope that we can bring as many students as possible so that not only can they take part in remembrance, but so that we can educate them on the rich history that makes Marshall University the community and family that it is today." In addition to Proctor and Hassan, other speakers invited to take part in the memorial service include Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Marshall President Dr. Stephen J. Kopp and Marshall Athletic Director Mike Hamrick. The service will conclude with the placing of the memorial wreath at the Memorial Fountain. The fountain will be silenced after the laying of the wreath, and remain silent until next spring. For those who can't attend, the service will be streamed live at www.marshall.edu/it/livestream. The Marshall football team will be watching from Tulsa, Okla., where it will play the University of Tulsa at 7:30 p.m. later that day. At 6:30 p.m., the SGA will conduct the first Memorial Service Site Visit. Anyone interested in boarding a bus that will take them to the crash site near Tri-State Airport may do so at that time.- See more at: http://www.marshall.edu/ucomm/university-communications-press-release-2/?pressid=3326#sthash.0pLqSmv2.dpuf If you live out of town or can’t make the Fountain Ceremony you can watch it live by clicking on the following link:
Home
Help
Members
View the memberlist
Search For Members
Login
Register