Bill,

I do agree with your first paragraph. I too do not care for using days of tragedy as a rememberance. Unless it is a signifcant annivesary date, I choose to celebrate birthdays instead. However, tradition and culture have shown a tendancy to use "date of death" as a memorial. The church even uses the day of a Saints death in its commemoration. (St. Patrick died on March 17.)

I feel that people will be thinking about Stan around the time of this anniversary. I chose to do this special and ask for other stations to remember Stan because I don't want people to dwell on the death aspect, but to offer something that will remind people on why Stan was so important and the power of his writing.

We will remember our sorrow, but my intent is not to dwell on this issue but rather to celebrate the music and what Stan meant to folk music. I deal with the death at the beginning of the show and present it as a piece of the story, then move into his story and music. This is not going to be a VH-1 Behind the Music tabloid piece. Stans story has a beginning and an end AND a legacy that continues.

While none of us wish to remember the tragedy, I do think there is another reason to use this as a starting point. Stan and the other passengers who perished on June 2 might have had a better chance if smoke hoods were available.   The debate over this still continues 20 years later. If there is any good out of remembering this date, perhaps this is one.

Ron