We cannot speak, but we can listen.
We cannot be seen, but we can be heard.
So as you look in awe at a mighty forest and
its grand majesty…Remember us.
As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity…Remember us.
As you stand upon the shore gazing at the sunlight glimmering
upon a beautiful sea…Remember us.
Author unknown
By Alex Paul
Publisher
Ralph Erlandson grew up playing hockey on frozen lakes in northern Minnesota. At one time, he even played in a semi-pro league. He knows what it feels like to face bitter cold and deal with pain.
When it comes to being tough, Erlandson, now 87, could take the best of punches.
But, 18 months ago, Erlandson and his wife of 63 years, Bertha, were dealt a blow that knocked the wind out of them. Their daughter and son-in-law, Dorene and Dale Beck, were among 217 persons who were killed when EgyptAir Flight 990 plunged into the Atlantic ocean some 60 miles off Nantuckett, Mass.
The tragedy occurred during what was to be the trip of a lifetime for the Becks, a popular Sweet Home couple.
Last week, a draft of the final report of from the National Transportation Safety Board gave the Erlandsons and the community, some closure. The report indicates the plane was probably driven into the ocean by co-pilot Gameel El-Batouty. Because there is no clear evidence, the NTSB did not rule the event a suicide although Ralph Erlandson and many others believe that’s exactly what it was.
“It was the co-pilot,” Erlandson told The New Era just 24 hours before the report was made public. “Everything pointed to the co-pilot.”
For Erlandson and the Beck’s children and grandchildren, the report completes a memorial cycle that began just days after the fatal October 31, 1999 crash with a dedication of life November 3, at the Hillside Fellowship Church.
Last fall, one year to the day after the crash, Erlandson and the Beck’s children, in-laws and grandchildren, took part in a memorial dedication at Newport, Rhode, Island.
The memorial stone is inscribed, “In loving memory of the 217 family members and friends lost on EgyptAir Flight 990 CA 60 miles South of Nantucket, Island October 31, 1999. May God’s eternal light shine upon them.”
In addition to the granite stone, bricks on the ground were inscribed with the names of those who perished in the tragedy.
More than 600 persons participated in the event.
“It was both gratifying and depressing,” Erlandson said, his eyes welling up with tears. “They had recovered a lot of the plane. All of it was in one building…a very large building…probably 200′ by 100′. It was completely demolished in a million pieces.”
Participants were not allowed to take photographs in the building but had the opportunity to review the thousands of pieces all laid out in order on the floor of the building.
Numerous guest speakers took part in the ceremony including the honorable Lincoln Almond, governor of Rhode, Island. Offered were prayers in Muslim, Roman Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Protestant and Jewish.
Cost of the trip was paid for by EgyptAir, Erlandson said. It included air transportation, food, hotel lodging, ground transportation and spending money.
Egyptian authorities insist the crash was caused by a mechanical failure. The NTSB says mechanical problems are not at fault. A Boeing spokeswoman said investigators found nothing wrong with the aircraft.
The airplane which crashed at 1:50 a.m. EST October 31, 1999, was a stretched and extended version of the Boeing 767 model 366 ER. It was delivered to EgyptAir on September 26, 1989. It was equipped with two Pratt and Whitney 4000 turfofan engines.
Passengers came from the USA, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Sudan, Syria and Zimbabwe.
Seven of the Beck’s family members traveled to the East Coast.
Lives remembered…
Dorene Beck was always a caring person, her father said in tribute.
“She taught school for over 20 years. She knew as a child that she wanted to be a teacher. She went back to college after her children were grown and made the honor roll,” Erlandson said.
Erlandson said his daughter was “intelligent and attractive as a child.”
It was semi-pro hockey that brought Erlandson from Minnesota to California in the 1940s. Pacific Gas and Electric sponsored his team and provided him with a job as a control operator in the power house. In 1947, Erlandson’s cousin, Roy Norquist convinced him to move to Sweet Home.
“I bought a D-7 cat and went to work in the woods,” Erlandson said of the event that brought his family to the community.
“Dorene grew up here,” Erlandson said. “She was only nine when we came here. “She and Dale met in high school and got married right after they graduated (1957). They were very happy together.”
Erlandson has excellent family memories of his daughter and son-in-law.
In 1975, the Erlandsons, Dorene and her daughter Karen spent five weeks in Europe and Scandinavia.
He and Dale hunted together, including a successful moose adventure in Canada. They camped and fished together many times.
“Dale liked fixing up old cars,” Erlandson said of his son-in-law.
The trip to Egypt was the Beck’s big adventure. Dorene was inquisitive and had read up on numerous parts of the journey. The couple was excited about a boat trip up the Nile River.
“It’s something they had always wanted to do,” Erlandson said. “She was just interested in everything.”
Dale Beck was born in Klamath Falls and moved to Sweet Home with his family in 1945.
After high school he worked at Santiam Lumber Co., first in the mill and then as a truck driver. In 1980 he bought his own truck. He was a member of the Elks Lodge, enjoyed painting and restoring old cars.
His wife was born in Roseau, Minn., and moved to Sweet Home in 1947.
In 1968, while raising the couple’s children, she returned to college. She graduated cum laude with a degree in elementary education in 1973.
She began teaching third grade at Liberty School in 1974 and later taught fourth, fifth and sixth grades at Holley, Crawfordsville and Foster schools.
She was named Teacher of the Year and served on the Oregno Reading Committee. She was an artist and pianist.