The 31 members of the Wichita State University community who died in a plane crash 46 years ago were remembered in a memorial service held on campus Sunday.
Many who lost their lives in the 1970 crash in Colorado were varsity football players at WSU. The team's head coach, the athletic director, the head of the booster club and their spouses were also among those killed.
WSU President Dr. John Bardo honored the victims, saying that while it's important to celebrate the victories and successes that Wichita State earns over time, the school's pain and tragedy must also be recognized.
"That is what makes us a community, it's what makes us a university," Bardo said. "To remember not only that which is great and that which we did that was good, but to remember the fallen, to remember those that came before and those who never had a chance."
A separate remembrance was held this weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas. That's where the 1970 Shocker team played their first game after the crash, less than a month later. Surviving members of both the Wichita State and the Arkansas football teams reunited for the anniversary.
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