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Contact: Brooke Neel, 814-893-6552 Contact: Stephen Clark, 814-893-6531
Wallace "Wally" Miller, Somerset County Coroner to Speak
On June 17-18 at Flight 93 National Memorial SHANKSVILLE, Pa. – Wally Miller, the Somerset County coroner who played such an integral role in the aftermath of the crash of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, will be the featured guest at a “Flight 93 Speaker Series” event on June 17-18 at Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County. Miller was one of the first local officials to reach the crash site near Shanksville on the morning of September 11. He assisted FBI agents and other authorities in the immediate aftermath of the crash and became a key liaison with family members of the forty passengers and crew members over the next 10 years during the development of the national memorial. “Wally was an absolute fierce advocate for the families at our time of need,” said Gordon Felt, president of the Families of Flight 93. “Wally was the nearest thing to a hero that the crash investigation had produced,” said Lyz Glick, another Flight 93 family member Miller will share his unique perspective of the Flight 93 story in three talks that are open to the general public free of charge: Saturday, June 17 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and Sunday, June 18 at 1 p.m.All three talks will be held in the Learning Center. Moderating the event will be Tom McMillan. McMillan is the author of “Flight 93: The Story, The Aftermath, and the Legacy of American Courage on 9/11.” McMillan serves as the Pittsburgh Penguins' vice president of communication, his passion for history is well-established. New this year, the Flight 93 Speaker Series is a joint effort of the National Park Service and Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial. Future Speaker Series events will feature first responders and others involved in the aftermath of the September 11th crash in Somerset County, as well as Flight 93 family members. The summer-long series is presented by Somerset Trust. Additional Flight 93 Speaker Series events are planned in July and August: July 22 – First responders John Weir of PBS Coal, which owned part of the crash site; Louis Veitz, unit supervisor of the Pa. State Police forensic mapping unit during the investigation; and Stacey Schmidt, one of the first state troopers to reach the site on September 11, 2001. August 19, 20 – Family members Deborah Borza (mother of passenger Deora Bodley) and Calvin Wilson (brother-in-law of First Officer LeRoy Homer). ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF FLIGHT 93 NATIONAL MEMORIAL Established in 2009, the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial is the official non-profit supporting partner of Flight 93 National Memorial. The Friends focus on awareness, education, volunteer support, preservation and stewardship. The Friends of Flight 93 is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, donations to which are tax deductible. To learn more about the Friends, visit www.Flight93Friends.org. ABOUT FLIGHT 93 NATIONAL MEMORIAL On September 24, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Flight 93 National Memorial Act. The Act created a new national park unit to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby thwarting a planned attack on our nation’s capital. The memorial is near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed with the loss of its 40 passengers and crew. For more information on Flight 93 National Memorial visit www.nps.gov/flni. ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE More than 22,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at: www.nps.gov |
Last updated: June 14, 2017