Monday, September 05, 2011

Man In The Red Bandanna

For those who still haven't seen ESPN's touching piece on Welles Crowther '99.


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14 comments:

mod34b said...

I wish readers (BC grads) would express a little more enthusiasm for Welles Crowthers - quite possibly the most admirable, most heroic BC grad ever. A proud Eagle who knew the risks but still made the ultimate sacrifice so others could live.

As a fellow alum with too many of my own sad connections to 9/11, I am so proud to see this story getting some play. God Bless you Welles, you did more for others in one hour than almost all us will accomplish in a lifetime.

I see that our opponent this week, UCF, is honoring Welles at the BC game by wearing red bandanas at the game. thank you UCF. I too will keep a red bandana in my pocket this weekend.

9:08 PM
dixieagle said...

Powerful story, great BC guy and a real hero.

9:37 PM
Ryan said...

Kinda sad that more UCF fans probably know about Welles than most BC fans. I hope our AD is planning on doing something to honor him this year.

9:50 PM
mod34b said...

Ryan. Sad but true. Hope BC does something for this fine young man and his family

When I think of Welles saving people, and then returning to save others, climbing upward in the Tower, high above the earth, up toward to beautiful blue sky above, I think of a young WWII hero, John Gillespe Magee, a fighter pilot and poet whom died serving others at 19.

Here is Magee's famous poem:
 "High Flight"

 Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

 And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

 Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

 of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things

 You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung

 High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

 I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

 My eager craft through footless halls of air....

 Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

 I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.

 Where never lark, or even eagle flew —

 And, while with silent lifting mind I have trod

 The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

 - Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

10:02 PM
dixieagle said...

Beautiful! I remember Ronald Reagan quoting that, during the Challenger disaster, if I recall correctly.

10:07 PM
Walter said...

I don't think there's any reason to speculate on what BC grads do or dont know about Welles-Crowther. There were always signs on campus for the run, I'm sure many other students like me saw them constantly.

It is nice for them to do something, very classy.

10:19 PM
Walter said...

Sorry, Welles Crowther.

10:27 PM
mod34b said...

Dixie. Yes RR used a line from the poem. Quite elegantly too, of course - but he did not give Magee any credit. Too bad.

Walter, You are fueling my doubts about the passions of recent grads. Seems like you are annoyed you had to see the man's name on a sign too often. Hope I am misreading your comment.

10:29 PM
Ry said...

Reagan used a combo of two different lines: "they slipped the surly bonds of earth and touched the face of god"

i always wondered where that came from, never realized it was this poem.

a recent BC alum that I am close with had been trying to mount a campaign for the university to name one of the many unnamed buildings for Welles as opposed to waiting for a donation. hasn't worked though. 90 is still 90 and The Gate is still technically 110. Hillsides is getting renamed to Maloney Hall on the heels of a substantial donation by the Maloney family (unrelated, thank god, to Moe Maloney)

10:38 PM
Benjamin said...

Ry: Can you have your contact post a link on the blogs about info for this campaign?

10:51 PM
Ryan said...

I didn't read Walter's comment that way at all FWIW. I just am surprised BC hasn't done more outside the run which is fairly popular. I'm 100% naming a building after him, I can't think of a single person more deserving.

10:53 PM
Ryan said...

I'm 100% behind *

10:54 PM
Walter said...

mod34b, that is completely ridiculous. I was just responding to the idea that recent BC grads wouldn't be aware of him. The school did a good job of promoting the event - I don't think it's fair to always assume the worst of bc's fans, which popular media frequently resorts to.

I think anything related to September 11th is still an immensely difficult issue. It's still too close and too hard to know what's right and what memorials are fitting.

1:13 AM
Ry said...

the guy i was referring to didn't have an organized campaign of any sort...it was just something he always talked about and was very passionate about.

hey if we can manage to raise $15 million from alumni, we can call any building whatever we want

9:04 PM

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