Documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of plane crash to be released
Oct. 18—Blake Vickers
As part of a collaboration between the Richmond Register, Rosanbalm Communications, and historian Phillip Seyfrit, a documentary commemorating the lives of 10 Madison Countians and a pilot lost in a 1972 plane crash is set to be released in November.
On Nov. 18, 1972, a charter plane carrying 10 Madison Countians back from a Madison High School football game in Hopkinsville went down in Elkton. There were no survivors.
Charles C. Shackelford, assistant Madison County attorney; Ben Robinson, a part owner in beer distribution and ice companies; Roy Watson Jr., assistant advertising manager for the Richmond Daily Register; James (Jimmy) A. House, news editor of the Richmond Daily Register; David K. Gooslin, a Central Vending Company employee; Joe Hunter, liquor store owner; Hugh Robbins, an attorney; James Dale (J.D.) Frankenberger, a liquor store owner; Maurice Mundy, a car wash owner; and George L. Vernon, an employee of IBM Corporation.
Their pilot, Lawrence McDermott, was also killed in the crash.
An interpretive marker paying tribute to the victims of the crash was erected at Irvine-McDowell Park for the 45th anniversary of the crash in 2017.
Research for the documentary is being pulled from many sources including the Register's own archives from 1972. Interviews are currently being conducted with friends and family members of the 11 men lost in the crash. Anyone who has any information about the crash is encouraged to share it with the team or even take part in one of the interviews.
"We're still searching for people who would like to be a part of this. One thing we should really, really, stress is that we cannot guarantee that every person we record will make it into the final project," Seyfrit said.
To share any information about the crash, reach out to Blake Vickers at bvickers@richmondregister.com.
