Submitted photo First row, from left, are Beth Waddell, Jake Anderegg, Mike Feola and Bo Waddell. Second row, from left, are Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner and John Reger.

Submitted photo
First row, from left, are Beth Waddell, Jake Anderegg, Mike Feola and Bo Waddell. Second row, from left, are Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner and John Reger.

BUCKHANNON — Mayor Robbie Skinner with the City of Buckhannon has proclaimed Nov. 14 as John Young and Marshall Day in recognition of the 50th year remembrance of John Patton Young. who was one of 75 people killed in the plane crash on Nov. 14, 1970.

Young, an exceptional athlete in football, basketball and track at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, continued his career in football as a tight end at Marshall University. wearing jersey No. 86.

At 7:36 p.m., on Nov. 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed into a hill just short of Huntington’s Tri-State Airport.

“This event sent shockwaves through our entire community and nation. We would forever remember where we were when we heard about the crash,” the proclamation states. “Now, 50 years later, we honor our friend and brother, John Young, and all the men and women on that flight who made a mark on our hearts.”

A ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Nov. 14 at Heavener Cemetery, but due to COVID-19 guidelines, attendance is limited to 25.

The Marshall crash was the worst single air tragedy in NCAA sports history.

Young was the son of Mr. & Mrs. F.P. Young.

Southern Airways Flight 932 was a chartered Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 domestic United States commercial jet flight from Stallings Field in Kinston, North Carolina, to Huntington Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS) near Kenova and Ceredo, West Virginia.

The plane was carrying 37 members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, eight members of the coaching staff, 25 boosters, and five flight crew members. The team was returning home after a 17-14 loss to the East Carolina Pirates at Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.