Vicki L. Matthies of Springfield, Ohio
On March 9, 1967 there was a mid-air collision of a TWA DC-9 and a Beechcraft Baron near Urbana, Ohio. Flight 53 was en route to Dayton, Ohio, from New York via Pittsburgh. Last year on the 40th anniversary of that crash I commissioned a memorial plaque to memorialize those lost in the tragedy. My sister and I lost our father, Linwood Leonard, in the crash. I then began a search to find other family members who had a family member or friend on that flight. With assistance from The Dayton Daily News I was able to find members of seven other families and we now have located another in Illinois. We all gathered last July 4 to dedicate the memorial in the aviation museum at Grimes Field in Urbana. This wonderful group of people have now formed a very close bond with one another. We all share the same grief and now some closure as we have shared in the memorial.
Now I am on a quest to attempt to find other family members or friends to let them know of this memorial to their loved one.
I have addresses of all those on Flight 553 and am hoping that the newspapers that serve these towns and cities will either print an article or have this serve as a letter to the editor. We hope to find any relatives or friends who might still be living in the area these 40 years later.
Articles about the crash and memorial appeared in The Urbana Daily Citizen.
The gentleman who lost his life in the crash was Dr. John S. Humphreys, 33, of Canal Road, Griggstown.
Anything that you would be willing to do for us would be greatly appreciated.
Vicki L. Matthies
1615 Winding Trail
Springfield, Ohio 45503
[email protected]
