I heard the planes crash, I watched the smoke rise, I ran inside our classroom with all the other kids wondering what we had just seen. They were very good and practiced all the time. Other (school staff, family member, recent alum, etc) June 08, 2023. Thanks again for posting as I commented once before. just let me know. I just spoke with my Dad about seeing your website and he told me that when they learned of the crash near the school they ran over to find me. Evans mom, Irene Johnson Meddy Elsner was my grandma Ruth Johnson Launs cousin .. Later, there was some kind of dedication ceremony that my grandparents flew out to from Chicago. The wailing sound of the plane coming down alerted us on the gym field and allowed many of us to take protective measures such as running away from the expected impact area. Sometimes people there go from one video to another suggestion, and that will help reach out to many people who were not even searching it up in the first place. I felt sick and light headed. I was able to clean it up and add some extra effects. Also just recently read from another site that indeed coach Vardanien was there to help the wounded and later would be my PE teacher at Poly and a track coach at Poly. and when my mom heard about the crash.. and how close it was she left work and came home..she had a lot of neighborhood friends whos kids were there. So maybe your dad did distribute copies to all the other Jr. High Schools. As a Pacoima alum, I remember there were many fire boxes (break glass, pull lever) throughout the school. Kris, If there is anything I can help you with, let me know. Talk about different times. I was in Drafting class next to the gymnasium and was knocked off my stool by the crash. the Harringtons were between us. I dont know if there were problems with the medical response, but I do know that valley residents demanded that test flights cease over the Valley and they did. Well she was right. Your account is the first Id heard about Berger and his music therapy pulling him through ah, the power of music. I went to Pacoima Jr. High in the mid-70s and remember some of my neighbors in Arleta speaking about it. When did your dad retire. I saw a photo of a kid (student?) Photograph caption dated January 3, 1955 reads, "Some 1200 students moved into the newly-completed Pacoima Junior High School plant today at 9919 Laurel Canyon Blvd., taking 3500 students off half-day sessions at Pacoima and San Fernando Junior High School, where the students were housed last fall. EveRuth ing was out of control..we ran out of building aND witnessed a devastating scene. Hmmmm Cedros Ave was not in Pacoima, Cedros is two blocks west of Van Nuys Blvd, I used to live on that street off Parthenia. I was in class, a distance from the ball fields, but we saw the flash and thought it was a bomb. Childhood pal recalls Ritchie Valens as 'sweet,' 'tough' from Murrieta Thanks for your comment and compassionate thoughts. I still remember one woman, horrified nearly senseless, walking through the wreckage screaming My baby, my baby, where is my baby? The police took charge and emptied the playground of mothers and gawkers. Your lifetime discomfort with flying seems to be a common thread among many who were personally affected by the crash including your chum, Richie Valens. I was five years Oldfield at a nearby nursery school when this happened. I remember where the drafting area was situated at Pacoima you and your classmates were darned close to the field. Could you put me in contact with David? I remember it mainly because two of my neighbor moms, Mary Jane Reid and Mrs. Harrington, were interviewed shortly after the crash. Plane crash at Pacoima Jr. High School, Jan 31, 1957. Those sights would have been tough enough for any adult to handle, let alone elementary-aged kids. I remember Evan Elsner, but I did not know him. I cannot imagine what a horrifying experience that mustve been for anyone who was near the school at the time, and thank you for giving the people who were there a chance to discuss their memories, and perhaps find a way to deal with what must certainly be terrible memories of that day. I was at school in La Crescenta doing sit ups out in our school field when we all saw smoke and the planes falling right after impact. Try again later. I can remember it like yesterday. In fact, the thought that those sons or daughters might be traumatized by hearing the recording almost kept me from posting it. This time I remembered to crawl under the desk. My sister and I would love to find Evans sister Cindy, but were not sure what happened to her after they moved to Oxnard. John 3:16 So one link lead to another and as I read all of the stories, it brings tears to me! As I travel back to that place my heart goes out, once again, to all those kids, teachers, parents, flight crews, and first responders whose lives were forever changed that day. The most incredible image of all was the open window in the cockpit area with smoke coming out of it and what appeared to be the pilot with his head partially out. Your old neighborhood brought up memories for me. Many people consider the Pacoima crash to be an important event in their lives. I was afraid that survivors who had been trying their whole lives to get passed that day would be plunged right back in it by hearing the sounds again. By the way, Im not sure how your comment wound up appearing as if it came from me, but Ill look into it. The tragedy gained national notoriety when angry Pacoima parents successfully petitioned officials to prohibit future test flights over populated areas. With all the illuminating and often soul-bearing comments from those who witnessed/survived the crash terrifyingly close, its easy to forget that there were many more people in the surrounding areas who saw the tragedy unfold in a completely different way. The history of Pacoima, California is traced back more than 1500 years when the people indigenous to the area first began establishing villages. I was born in 52 and started at Beachy when I was six. Anyway, I may remember Nanci. After talking to the school, she told me that school would be closed for a few days until they could clean off the fence. I had no idea Phyllis had gone out on the field to retrieve her jacket. As you are probably aware, many credit your father for managing to avoid nearby buildings and preventing a much larger calamity. Yeah. Soon after the crash, my dad was transferred to the California Air National Guard Base (196th Tactical Air Support Group) in Ontario. Russ, thank you for hosting this area where people who experienced the Pacoima plane crash can come to share and support one another. I think the last time I saw him was on stage together with an offshoot of the Showmen we opened for Eric Burton and the Animals at the Carousel Theater in, uh, Covina, I think. Ive been amazed at the responses to this post and how many commenters who saw or heard the plane come down but were not directly harmed by the crash were nonetheless deeply affected, in one way or other, for their entire lives. My buddy and I ran for the door, jumped the banister of the stairs and positioned ourselves so we could see what was happening. Is was crazy. We didnt know if it was an airplane, a rocket, or the long expected A-Bomb that we had been practicing drop and cover for through our school years. By fortune, all of those classrooms students were assembled on the other side of the school; had the children been there, the death toll would have been much higher. Frequently girls hung out around that area. And yes, please, feel free to include the link. Strange how a disaster so many years ago can bring back good memories as well as the bad. I do remember seeing shiny pieces of metal falling from the sky, though. What Buchanans recording ultimately captured that morning was the sound of a tragedy. What I remember next was the sound. En Espaol Parenting Write a Review Review; School List List; En Espaol; My Account . I remember there was an electrical problem that caused his amp to repeatedly emit a very loud flatulent-like sound at about a billion decibels, while the lead microphone was sending blue arcs of house current into my nose. However, dozens of students on the Pacoima gym field were injured, many seriously. {\fonttbl\f0\fmodern\fcharset0 Courier;} Ill never forget seeing one of the students hopping away to safety on one leg. What was very strange, is that the tragedy connected us all to each other. I was a few blocks away at Montegue Elementary School (I believe 1st Grade) when I heard the roaring noise of the impending crash. I didnt have a WordPress account at the time I was trying to listen last week. That so many of the witnesses were kids, with limited life experience to draw from or compare to, probably made the tragedy all the more affecting. I didnt know his son had been injured in the crash but I am glad to hear he is carrying on the family mission. and Garber, so our vantage points were probably quite similar. Website. Howerver, I did not ask permission to go out and get it, I just ran out, grabbed it and was not in the gym side door but a few seconds when the plane crashed. I am also very very happy that the interest for the story have been widespread, because i feel its only these childrens right to be remembered atleast since they passed away so early. I checked google maps and found that my cousin lived about 17 miles away from the crash. That day was definitely seared into many young minds. / Pacoima Junior High School / Class of 1969 Pacoima Junior High School: Class of 1969 Reunion (40th) Pacoima Jr Hi Class of '69 and other Alumni March 13, 2009 12:00 pm - March 16, 2009 12:00 pm Details We will meet up at LeRoy's Sports Bar and Grill, between 8 and 10 p.m. Friday Eve. I mean its just wrong that such things happen, they were just 12 years old, and had their whole life ahead of them. Thanks. This site has confirmed my memories of the crash. I lived on Obeck Ave (off Kagel, between Beachy and Canterbury) in what was originally called Pacoima, but later became Arleta for no apparent reason. As horrible as it was for the badly injured and, of course, the surviving families, had the plane slammed into the auditorium, with you, your mom, my father and a few hundred other souls inside, the devastation would have been too awful to imagine. My physical injuries were minor, my clothes and jacket kept me from getting burned by the hot oil. (And I hope you dont mind that I included a link to your page.). \outl0\strokewidth0 \strokec2, Eyewitness to the Carnage A Personal Account of the 1957 Pacoima Crash. Valens was not at school that day because he was attending the funeral of his grandfather. I was friends with Pam and I remember Karen Bakken as well. At five years old, though, I had no idea of what it meant. I am grateful. I was told to leave and I started to run home. Yeah, Ill bet it seemed longer. I found this blog while Google searching for information about that crash. A year or so later I had Helen Snipper as teacher of a drama class at Pacoima Jr. High. Terrifying moments seem to go by in slo-mo. I had no idea where he was and if he was ok. After what seemed like hours, we found each other. On a lighter note if you are the Garth Rodriguez I think you are, you were the lead singer in one my very first bands. I have accrued over 2500 hours of flight and still an active civilian pilot. Construction was not yet completed, so it was necessary to hold classes on the campus of San Fernando Junior High School. Russ, Little fellow well, I suppose we all were little back then, but he was littler. I felt connected to the terrible history. You reminded me that my sister, who happened to be at the P.E. .I have watched many videos of ww2 bombers returning home after having suffered incredible damage to both wings and tail..yet they could still fly it . I remember your father as an extremely nice man. Kris. Today, I still have problems with low flying planes, which happens often in Littlerock, CA. I think my sister and my father knew your cousin. Im fairly sure that a few commenters here were remembering you when they wrote about seeing a kid drenched in smoking oil walking/hobbling past them as they ran. I ran out of my classroom and saw the plane spiraling down and then the huge plume of smoke. Were you old enough to grasp the enormity of what had happened? The sky that direction was filled with an expanding ball of metal and debris. I found your Pacoima crash page very informative and well written. Corpor-Antics: Corporate Nibblings at Our Quality of Life, Pacoima Jr. High School Airplane Crash of 1957 (audio recording as it happened), https://russellbuchanan.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/1957-pacoima-jr-crash3.mp3, http://www.joangushin.net/ThenAndNow.html, http://www.cemeteryguide.com/gotw-pacoima.html, CemeteryGuide.com Stories Behind the Stones, CemeteryGuide.com Stories Behind the Stones, http://angiejim.homestead.com/thenandnow.html, http://dreammoods.com/cgibin/dreamdictionarysearch.pl?method=exact&header=dreamsymbol&search=plane, http://www.janm.org/collections/item/96.267.412/, https://www.facebook.com/groups/59234735717/, The Day the Music Died: The Amazing Two-Way Hot Rodding Connection - Hot Rod Magazine Blog, Mondaire Jones Is BackPrecisely When Democrats Need Him, In Jenin, as Elsewhere, Netanyahu Knows He Can Count on Washingtons Complicity, The Private Equity Takeover of Hospice Care, Henry Kissinger, Elliott Abrams, and the Rot of American Foreign Policy, Our Warming Planet Is Becoming a Hotbed of Violence, France Has a Deep History of Racist PolicingEven if It Wont Admit It, After the Riots, the Police Terrorize Marseille, Wisconsins Governor Is Teaching a Master Class on How to Outmaneuver the GOP, Immigration Backlashes Spread Around the World, Anti-Putin Forces Threaten Surprise Attack Inside Russia, Iowa Republicans Schedule Caucuses for January 15, The Stop Trump Effort Comes Down to South Carolina, "Today's News" or "Edward R. Murrow is up to 1500 RPM By Now", Exposing the Enthusiastically Stupid (and the Proudly Dumb), Middle Class Conservatives: Their Own Worst Enemy. He was serious about educating his students and always had a very classy demeanor. A part of the plane actually did land in the middle of the church, but no one was hurt. I watched Mr. Snyder cover his face when the flash occurred and turn away when the blast came. Thanks for writing and for your nice words about Evan. It was a long time ago. Russ, I just tried again and was able to play the clip with no trouble. I never knew if it was because the school board believed nuclear war was less likely after 65 or if they figured junior high-aged kids should be wise enough, in the event of a nuclear blast, to drop under their desks without rehearsal. I assume you went to Pacoima after Terra Bella. wow that sent chills. "He was very popular with the girls. I was there too. Its strange, you were only two years older than I, but remember much more. Visitors only. And now to again read the article and hear the recording how remarkably intact some memories can remain. Some events just seem to get burned into your memory. I was in the third grade. Your dadwherever he ismust be very proud of you, because its clear that you hold gently and carefully the hearts of those who experienced this event. It was a closed room with only transom windows. Ill never forget the confusion, fear, and terror I felt. Then Ill see if I can find that persons email address. I think for me it was validating. Good to hear from a neighbor I lived in one of the very nearby tract homes and was always impressed by houses like yours, with the gigantic yards and big ranch-style houses. Your recording sounds like a graduation, but wanted to try and sort out the other report of an awards ceremony, and special assembly in the auditorium of the school. I attended Beachy Ave. from Sept. 1957 to June 1962 (5th grade). Lana(Brosamle) Hale. The tragic memories will be in my heart forever along with the great friends who suffered with injuries or lost family members. Now it makes me think of your father too (but in a good way). I think we played poker a lot. Thanks for your terrific account of that day moment, really. He must have lived near me on Beachy Ave. \deftab720 For the most part, it seems the recording and the comments from witnesses/survivors have had a beneficial effect on those touched by that day. to destination. I thank my brother, Phil, for sending this link. Today I fly, I am a pilot, but I remember. Thank you for posting this remarkable, memorable recording and retelling of the events on that fateful day. She scooped me up and put me in the backseat of the car. At PJHS, I was good friends with John Ritoli who played with a band called the Showmen. I had two cousins, Kathy & Patricia Zeise, who were in class at Pacoima Jr High that day. Two years after the Pacoima disaster, Valens was killed along with his fellow performers and tour mates, J.P. Big Bopper Richardson and Buddy Holly when their light plane crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa. It was so cold here recently, it made me think of the real, world-class cold I felt when we did your ballet in, what was it, 2008? Does anyone know who this kid is? I sure miss that guy. Your assessment of the situation at the school directly after the crash is chilling and sad. It was my understanding that they were holding a graduation rehearsal in front of B-9 students. On that particular day, I was home with a cold. This Incident Command System has spread from the west coast to the east. My parents rented a house on Morehart Avenue, less than a mile from Terra Bella Elementary. I grew up in Pacoima, and anyone here who lives in The Valley, they know Pacoima is like the ghetto of the ghetto. You are bidding on a 1985 PACOIMA JUNIOR HIGH YEARBOOK/ CALIFORNIA. Thought you might be interested. Thanks for sharing, Russ. I too have some rare family video that is hosted on a pay site and worry now it might be lost to future generations when I stop paying the hosting fees when Im gone. Jets were taking off and landing, rattling my nerves. Off to one side, a large plane engine lay embedded 15 ft down in the Earth, smoldering with an acrid fume. . Some of the people profiled are famous, but most are not. Pacoima Junior High School | Pacoima is a old working-class | Flickr Pacoima is a old working-class district of Los Angeles. We lived on Varna Ave., 1.25 miles from Pacoima Junior High. That had to be horrible.,God bless all who were inpacted. The sound was a whisper at first and then it starting getting louder and louder and louder. Actually, very little labor but a lot of love. They are very much appreciated. I apologize for being off-topic. Sincerely, Susan Masters Kowalewski, Batavia, Illinois. John was their bass player. Anyway after school mom would drive us all over to Joyces house to pick her up for babysitting. The only memories I have of the day were the metal bits raining down and my very nervous mother (my sister and father were both on campus when the plane came down). Hey just a BIG hello, I was in your class too, and was in the auditorium with you, I think its interesting you are in Duluth Minn. thats where I was born and lived until we came to Pacoima, Ca. 4 reviews of MacLay Junior High School "I grew up in Pacoima, and anyone here who lives in The Valley, they know Pacoima is like the ghetto of the ghetto. That my blog performed such a solid, useful service in de-troubling him will definitely put a little more strut in my step. When power is interrupted during a recording, it naturally slows the tape speed. Thank you, Russ, for continuing in your efforts. Youd think I would have remembered that little detail but no, the slate is clean. Both of my younger sisters attended the elementary school next door to Pacoima Junior High. April 21 I went to my 50th San Fernando Class reunion. I apologize. Sorry to hear he was killed at such a tender age. I dont think it is necessary to know why. Sometimes it takes time to put two and two together. I dont know what made look this up now, but Im glad I did. Ah, the Internet! Russ, thanks for the time and effort to post and manage this thread. During our post incident review, we tried to figure out what would be the best way to triage patients. I was in the auditorium on the day of the crash, practicing for my graduation. I will look into the Smithsonian, as you suggested, and other non-profit outfits. At some point at Madison Jr. HS (1967-1969), I was responsible for managing those loudspeaker announcements we use to have to sit through in homeroom. Thank you for posting this, it has been shared with the rest of our family. Probably both. At least, I hope so. My mom came running out of the house, screaming for me to come home. On January 31, 1957, a Douglas DC-7B transport plane crashed into the school yard of Pacoima Junior High School, 9919 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, after colliding with a Northrop F-89J Scorpion jet trainer plane. I was trying to imagine seeing what you saw at the tender age of a fourth grader. Because we were children, and in an age when you simply go on with life, those I know of have done just that. Hi, Nicholas Hey, Terry Im glad Gary was able to shine some light on that day for you. She saw the plane go down, and needless to say, was at the school in only a few minutes. I was in a special class at Montague Street School when it happened. I like that guy. Pacoima Junior High School: Class of 1969 - Classmates And thank you very much for your take on that sad day. I was 18 years old when this crash took place. Did your dad turn off the tape recorder, or did it shut off when the power failed? I was 8 years old, but was at Plummer Elementary in Sepulveda, nearly 3 miles SW of Pacoima JHS. I was in second grade, Ms. Uptagraph, Terra Bella Elementary. I looked up toward my right and saw a big airplane (I was in the second grade, about 7 years old) on fire. I would like to know why, as I said nothing derogatory in any way. It must have been a weird combination of terror and excitement, not to mention, a very abrupt and premature introduction to mortality. I was only 7 at the time, and I went to Terra Bella Elementary, next door. Thank you for this site. I read every word from every poster and I feel as if I know you. I remember talking to Terry a few years ago and getting a good sense of how troubling his memory lapse was to him. Of course, none of us knew how to play so our poker sessions were quite long and involved. I remember seeing the pilot also.
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