A lot of times, I get my ideas from historical events. You’ve all probably seen those “This Day in History” lists that are published every day, online, by hundreds of different sources. They are a dime a dozen. But most of them carry the exact same information, printed over and over again, year after year. Trust me.
The lists are just that. One item after the next. Some of the things are vaguely interesting, but a great deal of them are mundane and of little interest. At least, not to me.
An example.
1971 — 4-time Eredivisie soccer champions Go Ahead from Dutch city of Deventer add ‘Eagles’ to famous name
1971 — Venezuela’s Hydrocarbons Reversion Law mandates gradual transfer to government ownership of all “unexploited concession areas” by 1974 and “all their residual assets” by 1983
1972 — Chicago infielder Dick Allen becomes only 7th player in MLB history to hit 2 inside-the-park home runs in a game; both off Bert Blyleven in 8-1 White Sox win over Minnesota Twins
1972 — Thomas Eagleton withdraws as Democratic VP candidate
1972 — Operation Motorman: the British Army use 12,000 soldiers supported by tanks and bulldozers to re-take the “no-go areas” controlled by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
As you can see, sometimes there’s not much to go on when one attempts to write 700 words on a daily basis. But every so often, the very next item will hit a chord.
1973 — Delta Airlines DC-9 crashes in fog at Logan Airport, Boston, killing all but one of 89 aboard. Lone survivor dies 5 months later
This event made me wonder about that lone survivor. And why one person, out of all 89, would be the one. Was there a reason? Or is it all random?
I looked for more information about the crash. There’s really not much to explain. As mentioned, heavy fog was the culprit. The pilots were on an instrument landing approach and were slightly distracted by an instruction from air traffic control. They put the plane directly into the seawall at Logan Airport.
There were actually two survivors. The first died two hours later. And the “lone” survivor lasted four months and eleven days. His name was Leopold Chouinard, and he suffered terrible burns and traumatic injuries. He died on December 11, 1973.
But in the article I found, people were able to leave comments. This put faces to the people on the plane. Here are a few.
Mark S
6-6-2021 19:19
I had just turned 11 years old a month earlier and went to work with my Dad, a local Boston truck driver, when it came over the radio. We drove over to Castle Island to look across to Logan and could barely see the emergency vehicle lights through the fog. Extremely sad day.
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Dan C
7-27-2018 9:33
I was 19 and living in my first apartment in Central Square Cambridge when I heard that a neighbor, Toni Gummery, was killed in this terrible crash. I had only met her a couple of times but still remember her and have thought of her many times over the last 45 years. We saw her new boyfriend a few days later and he was obviously devastated. The memory still brings tears to my eyes. Life can be so sad.
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Christie L.
6-5-2017 6:12
My brother Alex was on that flight….Horrible day for our family.
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Judy
5-30-2017 6:38
I was 13 when this happened and my dad had an office job at Boston City Hospital (no medical experience) and was called in to act as a 1st responder. He was devastated after the experience and never the same. He and my mom got divorced a few years later and ended up drinking himself into the ground and he died homeless, at 52. He was a Korean War vet, probably had PTSD and this tragedy put him over the edge. God Bless everyone affected and may all those who passed away rest in peace.
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Laureen
1-30-2017 6:20
Remembering my sweet friend, Jill, who was just 13 when she lost her life in this plane crash. I still get the same “sick” feeling whenever I think about that day. Praying for peace and healing for all those who lost loved ones on this flight.
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Nicole B.
1-4-2017 6:19
My Grandfather Joseph Burrell was in the cockpit that day. My heart goes out to everyone who was involved or had family members who were.
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So again, I ask? Is there a reason? Or is it all just a jumble of randomly bumping circumstances we find ourselves in?
Science tells us that life is an accidental by-product in a random universe.
Does Spirit tell us differently?
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“I believe that I am not responsible for the meaningfulness or meaninglessness of life, but that I am responsible for what I do with the life I’ve got.”
― Hermann Hesse
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“In order to lead a meaningful life, you need to cherish others, pay attention to human values and try to cultivate inner peace.”
― Dalai Lama
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“Plato says that the unexamined life is not worth living. But what if the examined life turns out to be a clunker as well?”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons
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A tragic crash. Meant to be, or no meaning at all?
