Congratulations to all those who worked so long and hard to finally place a fitting memorial on the site of the KC-135 tanker crash at 20th and Piatt — a place that project coordinator state Rep. Oletha Faust-Goudeau (in photo), D-Wichita, once likened to “an unmarked grave.” Their tenacity and generosity will ensure that Wichita knows and remembers the story and the names of the 30 victims of that tragedy on Jan. 16, 1965, providing an enduring place of healing and tribute.
(To better understand the horror and loss of that day, see The Eagle’s slide show.)
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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9 Comments
I whole heartily agree, that day is one of the most vivid memories of my childhood. I came out of the house in Plainview and noticed everyone was standing in their courtyards looking toward the North. I walked up to my dad and asked what was going on? He told me that one of the tankers from the air base had crashed in Northeast Wichita. I looked up and saw the large black smoke cloud raising into the sky. It seem to cover the entire sky to the North! Even at such a young age I knew that people had died and it was very bad.
The event has changed many things, the flight pattern was change so as the tankers did not fly over largely populated area. (Ok the pattern changed but so did the city of Wichita, now if a tanker went down it would take out some of the riches people in Wichita).
Yep. I remember it too and we looked at it from our porch. As I recall it was quite cold that morning too. The memorial looks nice.
Oletha Faust-Goudea made this project happen. Lots of others helped, but she was the driving force behind this effort and got everyone in the community on board. She is a true leader! I hope she runs for higher office soon!
Rep. Oletha Faust-Goudeau has done very well for the community. The slide show brought back memories and it’s well done presentation strengthened the outcome of the memorial.
I am comforted that this event and more importantly the victims were not forgotten. Many thanks to the many who strove to keep this project in the fore.
It crashed only a few blocks from my house, I’ll never forget it.A memorial was long overdue.
I remember this tragedy, too. I listened to radio accounts of it on my “transistor” radio and recall looking up the word “chaos” in the dictionary because I didn’t know what that word meant at the time.
I was at KU when the plane went down, and I read the papers hoping my friends weren’t hit. Horrible, horrible time!I stopped by to see the memorial yesterday; it took 40 years to put it up, but it did get built. It was very moving.
Another Proud East High Class of 77 Grad!I promised I would write something nice about you, Oletha, so here it is:Great Job!
“Another Proud East High Class of 77 Grad!I promised I would write something nice about you, Oletha, so here it is:Great Job!”
Yes! The class of 1977 at East High was by far the best of that decade. We make stuff happen- for better or for worse! You know I was voted “Most Likely To Do Life Without Parole” when I was there and we all got a big laugh out of it at the Friday night part of our reunion at the Hotel in Old Town. I put it on my name tag!