THE ASHEVILLE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Annette Snell

It was well north of midnight on April 4, 1977 when a giddy and triumphant Annette Snell laid down the final vocal track of the recording session. The guys at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama had assured her that the new song was going to power up the charts and reach the top ten–and she knew they could make it happen. After all, this was the group who had helped Aretha Franklin become the “Queen of Soul” a decade earlier, recharging her stalled career with monster hits like “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

Snell hugged all the guys, waved goodbye, and left the studio with just enough time to grab her things before heading out for the Muscle Shoals airport. The newly recorded song was still ringing in her head when she boarded Southern Airways Flight 242, reluctant to leave but happy to be heading home. Continue reading →

Werner von Braun and JFK at Redstone Arsenal in 1963

On April 4, 1977, William V. Gudaitis boarded the ill-fated Southern Airways Flight 242 in Huntsville, AL heading for a meeting at Raytheon Co. in Lexington, MA. He was a leading scientist for Redstone Arsenal, and his briefcase bulged with top-secret blueprints detailing a revolutionary new missile design–one that was meant to completely change the existing paradigm. They called it the “Patriot Air Defense Missile System,” and the plans he cradled that day would become the prototype for the next generation of guided missile defense. He did not survive the crash of 242, but the plans he carried did–and Redstone would once again ride triumphant.

Redstone Arsenal has always served as ground zero for the U.S. Army’s missile and rocket programs. Originally built in 1941 as an assembly plant for the manufacturing of conventional and chemical munitions, the Army ultimately chose it to be the dedicated site for developing and then Continue reading →

Fighter Pilot on tactical maneuvers

I recently sent a copy of my posting entitled “The Daughter of Flight 242′s Copilot Finally Speaks Out” to the Alumni Relations and Development  Offices of the University of Nevada, Reno. The idea was simply to let them know about the heroic life of Lyman W. Keele, Jr., a graduate of UNR Class of 1966. The posting included his daughter Tiffany’s “letter of healing” to the New Hope Community in Paulding County, GA–the area where in 1977 her father force landed a disabled DC-9 that crashed–killing him, the captain, and 70 others. It is a very powerful document, including numerous heartfelt comments from friends and supporters, and it has touched countless people here in Georgia and beyond. I received a very quick response from Juliane DiMeo, the Alumni Program Manager at UNR. She asked if I wanted to nominate Lyman Keele for an award, and I said, “Yes, I do.” Continue reading →

Lyman W. Keele, Jr. and his wife Cathleen (Photo ca. 1970)

To say that Lyman W. Keele, Jr. was a competent pilot would be a major understatement. After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1966 he joined the Navy and received his flight training at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. He was then stationed aboard the USS Hancock, where he flew over 100 combat missions against enemy targets in North Vietnam while also providing air support for ground forces and rescue operations. He received numerous bronze and gold Air Medals for outstanding aerial prowess, as well as a Navy Commendation for “heroic achievement as a pilot of jet aircraft while attached to Attack Squadron 212 on the USS Hancock.” The man could flat-out fly a plane.

Keele left the Navy and joined Southern Airways sometime in 1973. Although he was the First Officer on Flight 242, he was the one at the controls on the leg from Huntsville, Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia when it went down in New Hope, GA on April 4, 1977, killing 72 people. He Continue reading →

(L-R) Fire Chief John Clayton, Captain Doal Camp, Assistant Chief Johnny Wigley

When the Paulding County Fire Chief’s Association met at John R. Clayton’s house for the first time on January 23, 1977, they knew something had to be done quickly. The county had no formal fire protection program in place, and many of the volunteers who worked at the fire stations needed more extensive training. Funding was hard to come by, and many of the stations were supported in part through local community barbecues, church raffles, and donations. Personal phone calls would often serve as the notice to gear up for a fire. Not surprisingly, the volunteer jakes would sometimes have to reach deep into their own pockets to pay for badly needed gear and equipment.

Danny Echols, the first Chief of the Association, told me that the central communication system at the time was located at the Sheriff’s Department, with two-way radios in most of the firefighting vehicles. In the event of a catastrophic occurrence which required additional manpower from the surrounding communities, the call would go out through the Georgia State Fire Mutual Aid Frequency. They made it work because they had to. But on April 4, Continue reading →