Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:

ONE MAN’S LEGACY

The school bus I rode in bounced over a one-lane pasture road. It sloshed through a muddy draw, wound around hills, and stopped near a granite monument in the middle of a Chase County pasture.

More than 200 people made the trip from the Bazaar schoolhouse to the Knute Rockne Memorial on April 2.

We gathered on property owned by Leonard Cornelius for the 80th anniversary commemoration of the plane crash that killed the Notre Dame football coach and seven others on March 31, 1931. Their small plane, en route from Kansas City, Mo. to Los Angeles, lost a wing and fell to the earth.

As we gathered, the sky was blue with a few high clouds. The field around us was covered with thick dry grass, scattered rocks, and more than enough cow chips.

The much-beloved Knute Rockne was a Norwegian immigrant who coached the Fighting Irish from 1918 until the time of his death at age 43. He had a 105-12-5 record and six national championships.

Quite a few in the crowd had ties to Notre Dame. Out on the open pasture, “Here Come the Irish” played over the speakers. A wreath was laid and descendents of the plane crash victims gathered in front of the monument for photos. Nils Rockne, one of Knute’s grandsons told stories about his grandfather.

At 10:48 a.m., the reported time of the 1931 crash, local resident Doug Wilson buzzed in for a flyover in his red, white and blue airplane. The plane rose dramatically in altitude over the site, then circled around and away. A bagpipe played “Amazing Grace.”

But the event was not all about Knute Rockne or the other victims. Much love and appreciation was extended to the memory of the man who took care of this spot for decades, the late Easter Heathman.

At age 13, Heathman was an eyewitness to the crash. He came with his father to this location on that spring day in 1931. During his adult years, he returned to the site countless times with visitors, many of whom were Notre Dame folks making a pilgrimage to see where Rockne’s life had ended.

Easter Heathman was a World War II veteran and a local farmer. Because he was an eyewitness to the plane crash, at some point people started coming to his door. He would take them to the site and share his memories of the day the plane went down.

Heathman died in 2008 at age 90. I never met him, but I wish I had. From the accounts I heard, he was a kind and generous man, and he faithfully tended to the crash site without fanfare. He took care of the monument and began making eight wooden crosses to place in front of it. He helped organize previous memorial events.

Over the years, a connection grew between Heathman and Notre Dame. He became a fan of the school and its teams. And in 2006, the Notre Dame Monogram Club paid tribute to Heathman with an honorary monogram. Posthumously, in 2009, a plaque recognizing Heathman’s dedication to the Rockne crash site was created and placed at Gate D of the Notre Dame football stadium.

Heathman’s family was given a replica of that plaque during the April 2 ceremony. Also during the service, people from Notre Dame spoke of their respect and gratitude for this Chase County man, for all that he had done in honor of Knute Rockne through the years.

Nils Rockne, Knute Rockne’s grandson, expressed appreciation on behalf of his family for Heathman’s “unselfish devotion.” Rockne said, “He simply did it because he loved my grandfather for who he was and what he stood for.”

Heathman was a farmer, but he had a second calling. And that was to honor the eight men who died on that pasture near Bazaar. What he did by tending to the crash site and by giving tours deeply touched the victims’ families as well as the Notre Dame folks who loved Knute Rockne and his legacy.

What matters most in this world is not the busyness of our lives or even how we earn a living, but rather the manner in which we connect with others, how we give of ourselves. In helping to keep the memory of Knute Rockne alive, Easter Heathman created his own legacy, one of love, of generosity, of devotion.

Copyright 2011 ~ Cheryl Unruh


5 Comments

  1. Very nice piece, Cheryl. It was good to see you in Wilson on Sunday. We had no trouble getting home, but promptly had a flat tire after arriving home safely.

  2. Hi Cheryl, I also enjoyed your article and have been researching this accident lately. I am currently working on a historical article about accident and aircraft involved. I would like the opportunity to visit the site which appears to be on private land. Could you provide a contact person for me to possibly make arrangements to visit the memorial in Kansas? Thank you for any help you could provide.

    Sincerely,
    Mike McComb

  3. Mike,

    Hey, I’m glad to have you stop by Flyover People!

    I don’t know who could lead you out to the crash site, but my suggestion would be to contact the Chase County Historical Society. They had a big exhibit about Rockne in the past year. I would they they would be able to tell you who to contact about accessing the site. http://www.chasecountyhistoricalmuseum.com/

    I hope you get a chance to see it and I wish you all the best!
    Cheryl

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