John Reynolds ’60: ‘Creating a National Memorial for Flight 93’
Exeter Bulletin, Winter 2005

Photo Caption: Retired National Park executive John Reynolds ’60 is overseeing the creation of a new national park honoring those who died on United Flight 93 on September 11. (No photo credit given.)

For John Reynolds ’60, helping oversee the creation of a national park and memorial in Shankesville, PA, honoring the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 who died there on September 11, 2001, has been both an emotionally charged and intellectually exhilarating experience.

“It’s hard for me to describe all the feelings involved with this project,” says Reynolds, an executive retired from the National Park Service (NPS) who was appointed chair of the Flight 93 Advisory Commission in September 2002. Passengers on Flight 93 are credited with seizing control of the plane from terrorists who planned to use it as a weapon. “You become part and parcel of the families whose loved ones were the heroes on that flight. You become closely bonded to their most altruistic emotions about how they would like future Americans to remember those they lost and what they did.”

On an intellectual level, Reynolds says the commission, which reports to Secretary of Interior Gale Norton, has been addressing some profound questions. “How do you understand what happened that day—not just on the plane or to the people who lost family members—but to the United States? How did the events of that day affect the history of the United States and our outlook as citizens?”

The son of a National Park Service ranger, Reynolds, along with his brother, Robert ’63, came to attend Exeter by way of a unique outreach program set up by the late Hammy Bissell ’29, former director of financial aid. “Hammy loved national parks and he knew there were families living in the parks that were concerned about education,” explains Reynolds. “So he made an arrangement with the park service to distribute information to its employees. That information eventually crossed my dad’s desk.”

For a self-described “shy and introspective” kid who grew up in a series of national parks, including Yellowstone, Exeter opened up a whole new world for Reynolds. A sports enthusiast and member of the Model Railroad Club, he took to Exeter quickly and says he remains forever thankful for the intellectual curiosity sparked by his experiences around the Harkness table.
After leaving the Academy, Reynolds earned a B.S. in landscape architecture from Iowa State University and an M.L.A. from the Syracuse University College of Forestry. During his 17 years with the NPS, Reynolds held a number of executive positions across the country doing long-range planning and park management. In his retirement, he continues to serve in an advisory position to the NPS and several other related organizations.

Thus far, a 2,000-acre national park—the boundaries of which are pending approval by Secretary Norton—has already been designated at the site of the plane crash, and a temporary memorial has been erected. The NPS is currently preparing recommendations for the planning, design, construction and long-term management of a permanent memorial, which the Advisory Commission will present to the Interior Secretary for approval by September 2005. Expected completion of the entire project will be within the next five years.

What form the final park and memorial will take remains to be seen. “Part of the park is literally a cemetery for the people lost, so it needs to be a cemetery forever,” says Reynolds. “It also needs to be a place that honors the actions of the 40 crew and passengers who were on board that plane. In the long term, it needs to be a place where Americans can go, much like Lexington or Concord, and contemplate the historical ramifications of the events.”

For more information about the Flight 93 National Memorial, go to: http://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm

— Bill Ewing

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