Marshall University Foundation
Marshall University Foundation, Inc.
One John Marshall Dr.
Huntington, WV 25755
304-696-6264
1-866-308-1346
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Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008
Contact: Lalena Price, University Communications, (304) 746-1989
Renovations on the fountain
HUNTINGTON — Renovations on the fountain that stands on the plaza of the Marshall University Memorial Student Center in remembrance of the 75 victims of the 1970 plane crash will begin in a big way this week.
On Thursday afternoon, workers will use a 350-ton crane, a smaller crane and two tractor trailers of other heavy equipment to carefully lift the fountain and rest it on a temporary platform east of the student plaza so a new foundation can be built. In case of inclement weather, the fountain will be moved Friday morning.
"A year ago, we had a structural engineer inspect the fountain and he said we probably had 18 months until it would become unstable," said Mark Cutlip, director of the university’s Physical Plant Department. "The base of the fountain is in very bad shape."
In 1972, when the fountain was installed, the spray of water went all the way to the top. Through the years, damage has occurred to the water pump, which also will be upgraded, Cutlip said. The sculpture part of the fountain already has undergone restorations to damaged surface areas. The fountain pool has received a high-pressure water cleaning compliments of Veolia Environmental Services.
Another monument to the victims of the crash is located in Spring Hill Cemetery on the common grave of six players. The steps leading to the monument and surrounding benches will be upgraded and made safer and more accessible.
Planners anticipate that both the fountain and the cemetery projects will be complete by the first week of April. The renovation project’s estimated cost is $200,000. The Marshall University Foundation, with support and help from a committee of family members of the crash victims, alumni and several former Marshall football players, will spearhead fundraising efforts to cover the costs of the renovations.
"Because of the significance of the fountain, the cemetery memorial and what they both mean to all of us, we want to keep them in good working order and beautiful for years to come," said Ron Area, CEO of the foundation.
To support the renovation project, contact Kristi Arrowood, director of special projects for the Marshall University Foundation, at (304) 696-3505.
The crash on Saturday, Nov. 14, 1970, occurred when a DC-9 jetliner returning Marshall home from its football game at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., clipped some treetops just short of Tri-State Airport and went down. Seventy-five members of the football team, coaching staff and community were killed. Every year the fountain is turned off on that day during a ceremony hosted by the Student Government Association.
More than 13 feet high and weighing 6,500 pounds, the fountain was created by sculptor Harry Bertoia. It was his hope that the fountain would "commemorate the living - rather than death - on the waters of life, rising, receding, surging so as to express upward growth, immortality and eternality."
The bronze plaque bears this inscription: "They shall live on in the hearts of their families and friends forever, and this memorial records their loss to the university and to the community."