Groundbreaking for Flight 191 Memorial Begins

Groundbreaking for the American Airlines Flight 191 Memorial at the Des Plaines Park District's Lake Park began on Thursday, September 29. The original planter wall and flagstones, on the southeast corner of Touhy Avenue and Lee Street, were removed to make way for a two-foot high by seventy-foot long interlocking brick wall engraved with the names of the passengers. A bronze plaque included in the memorial will honor the pilots and flight attendants. “We are proud to be the home of this beautiful tribute and congratulate the Decatur Classical School for their tireless efforts to bring it to fruition,” said John Hecker, Executive Director of the Des Plaines Park District. The commemoration ceremony will be at 11:00am on October 15. U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, who coordinated the funding of the project and Senator Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, who liasoned with the Decatur Classical School teachers and students, and the Park District, as well as Des Plaines Mayor Martin Moylan will speak at the dedication. More information about the Flight 191 Memorial is available through the offices of State Senator Dan Kotowski at 847-656-5414 and US Representative Jan Schakowsky at 847-328-3409.