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Memorial 10k run for plane crash set for April 21

TULSA WORLD, January, 28, 2007
By Jimmie Tramel

STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State's basketball game against Iowa State came on the sixth anniversary of a OSU team plane crash that killed 10 people.

Before the game, Kerry Alexander spoke to reporters about an inaugural "Remember The Ten Run" scheduled April 21 in Stillwater. Alexander is the founder and chairman of what he hopes will be an annual run in memory of the crash victims.

"This will be something fun," he said. "It's going to be something that's uplifting."

Alexander said he got the idea to stage a 10k run to remember the 10 after reading a book written by Bill Hancock, father of crash victim Will Hancock.

"I picked up an autographed copy of that and took it home and read it and it just floored me," Alexander said, adding that 5k and 1k runs also will be part of the event. Alexander sought the blessing of OSU officials and families of crash victims before going forward with his idea. He said response was very positive. Participants can register online at remembertheten.com. Proceeds will go to OSU Counseling Services.

"We are hoping to do two things with that," Alexander said. "One, we are hoping that students will maybe get over that phobia. I lost my father when I was a teenager here at OSU. I was 19. Without that support system around you, it's easy to drop out or get into other ways to cope with pain in your life. We hope we can make it more acceptable and make people more aware that counseling services are here on campus . . . especially if they are away from home. A lot of athletes are, obviously, and a lot of students are. "Secondly, proceeds that we raise are going to go to OSU Counseling to expand their services and provide some special services in regard to group counseling."

Honoring brother: Kendall Durfey was a radio producer who died in the 2001 plane crash. His brother, Nelson, sat in as a guest of the OSU radio broadcast crew during the Iowa State game.