Unionville in Putnam County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Continental Flight 11 Memorial

May 22, 1962

— "Lest We Forget" —

Continental Flight 11 Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 15, 2021

1. Continental Flight 11 Memorial

Inscription.
[north side]
This Continental Flight 11 tragedy occurred in Putnam County on May 22, 1962, and changed America’s air travel forever. The Hopes and Dreams of the families of the Passengers and Crew were destroyed. Dedicated on May 22, 2010, the Names on this Memorial will Never be forgotten.

[south side]Remembering Flight 11… May 22, 1962

CrewCaptain Fred R. Gray • First Officer Edward J. Sullivan • *Second Officer Jack D. Allen • David E. M. Olssen • Marilyn I Bloomquist • Mary R. McGrath • Martha J. Rush • Stella Ann Berry

PassengersJack D. Alexander • Kenneth H. Berger • Marcus C. Brand • Donald D. Bowman • Beuford M. Carter • William C. Chapin • James A. Clarity, Jr. • Tommy J. Cox • Thomas G. Doty • Geneva O. Fraley • Clyde D. Fritz • Robert C. Gach • Philip E. Giberson, Sr. • Sidney H. Goldberg • Frank J. Grene, Jr. • Maurice E. Hamilton • John E. Hamm • Henry E. Hanna • Fred P. Herman • Philip I. Hoare • Marvin Dale Horn • Edward A. Kuhn • Robert L. Miller • Virgil W. Mourning • Takehiko Nakano • Ross A. Reid • Andrew P. Roucka • Bruce Stewart • Robert G. Tabors •

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Rex O. Thomas • Benjamin F. Tuttle • Edward C. Waffle • Clifford L. Walton • James R. Webb • Roger Welch • Bobby J. Wilks • Russell W. Wolfe • *Roger Dean Allen

Erected 2010.

Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Disasters. A significant historical date for this entry is May 22, 1962.

Location. 40° 28.604′ N, 93° 0.136′ W. Marker is in Unionville, Missouri, in Putnam County. Marker is on Main Street (U.S. 136) just west of South 16th Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located near the northeast corner of the Putnam County Courthouse grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1601 Main Street, Unionville MO 63565, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Basking Ridge Oak (a few steps from this marker); Unionville (a few steps from this marker); Johnny Appleseed Tree (within shouting distance of this marker); Clark Coffeetree (within shouting distance of this marker); Moon Sycamore (within shouting distance of this marker).

Also see . . .
1. Continental Airlines Flight 11 (Wikipedia).

Continental Airlines Flight 11, registration N70775, was a Boeing 707 aircraft which exploded
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 15, 2021

2. Continental Flight 11 Memorial (south side)
in the vicinity of Centerville, Iowa, while en route from O'Hare Airport, Chicago, Illinois, to Kansas City, Missouri, on May 22, 1962. The aircraft crashed in a clover field near Unionville, in Putnam County, Missouri, killing all 45 crew and passengers on board. The investigation determined the cause of the crash was a suicide bombing committed as insurance fraud.
In popular culture:
• Flight 11 is dramatized in Aircrash Confidential.
• The event partially inspired Arthur Hailey's novel Airport.

(Submitted on December 14, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Continental Flight 11 fell out of the sky over Unionville.

Forty-six minutes into the 61-minute flight, Thomas Doty got up from his seat and carried his briefcase into the rear lavatory. Inside the case were six sticks of dynamite — the charge would snap the 707 in half at 9:17 p.m. Doty brought down the $4.5 million jet with $1.54 worth of explosives. Doty had purchased life insurance from one of the two circular counters across from the check-in area. A last-minute insurance purchase was nothing unusual for travelers, but the amount that Doty purchased was. Doty paid for a policy worth $250,000, one that covered accidental death in flight.

(Submitted on December 14, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 15, 2021

3. Continental Flight 11 Memorial

(looking southwest • Putnam County Courthouse in background)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 920 times since then and 98 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 14, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.