The annual ceremony of remembrance for those who died in the 1970 Wichita State University plane crash will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at Cessna Stadium.
There will be a reception immediately following the remembrance on the Cessna Stadium concourse. The audience will be seated on the west side of the stadium.
Enhancements have been made to Memorial ’70, located near the 18th Street and Hillside entrance to the university. Those additions to Memorial ’70 will officially be revealed on Oct. 2.
The ceremony is open to the public. Attendees may visit the memorial near 18th and Hillside at their leisure.
The ceremony will honor the 31 people - WSU football players, administrators, supporters and flight crew - who died in the crash in the Rocky Mountains.
For those who cannot attend in person, the ceremony will be available by livestream at www.Wichita.edu/memorial70 and later on demand on the Wichita State University YouTube channel.
Face coverings are required, and social distancing, when possible, is expected. Please note: Face coverings must properly be worn over your nose and mouth when in public spaces, or outdoor settings on campus when six feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained.
Those interested in making a tax-deductible contribution in memory of the crash victims can give to the Football '70 Memorial Scholarship, the only endowed scholarship at WSU dedicated in collective memory to those who died in the tragedy.
The scholarship is awarded each year to a student of any major with at least a 3.0 GPA who demonstrates financial need.
Contributions can be made through the WSU Foundation, 1845 Fairmount St., Wichita, KS 67260-0002, for the Football '70 Memorial Scholarship.
Contributions also may be made online.
Each year, more first-hand accounts and stories about this fateful day come to light:
Wichita State athletic trainer Tom Reeves ignored his injuries to assist others on Oct. 2, 1970.
Visits to the crash site in Colorado help survivors, teammates and family honor those who died.
Shocker teammates worked to complete the story of survivors at Memorial '70.
Former linebacker Bill Burch prepared a toast to his 1970 teammates.
Wichita State University serves as the Kansas urban-based research university, enrolling more than 20,000 students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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