Commemoration of 62nd anniversary of the plane crash

 

The present moment
indicates the essentiality of existence and the priorities of public life,
the memory of the past
is alive first of all in people and in physical signs, and then also in external gestures

 

Also for the 62nd anniversary of the plane crash planned for June 26, 2021, the promoting staff of the commemorative events together with the Municipality of Olgiate Olona decided for a more than sober, essential commemoration: to honor History (the plane crash and its protagonists) and to respect the present (communities and individuals affected by the pandemic).
Commemoration without the public ceremony and characterized by the usual signs of memory and solidarity: floral tributes will be laid at the memorial monument and on Maria Fermi Sacchetti’s grave at the cemetery; at 9 a.m., in the Ancient Collegiate Prevostal church of Saints Stephen and Lawrence, a mass in suffrage for the seventy immortal lives will be celebrated (the lattest of twelve celebrations in memory after the 60th anniversary); at 17.33, the bell tolling of the Prevostal church; on OlgiateOlona26giugno1959.org website, Mayor Giovanni Montano’s speech, the text of international prayer in suffrage, texts of eleven significant works produced from 2009 to 2020 by the students in the eighth grade of Dante Alighieri school with the educational project in memory of the plane crash, whose twelfth edition has been postponed to the school year 2021/2022.

 

(page containing the significant works of the students in the eighth grade produced from 2009 to 2020)

 

June 26, 2021 - Message of Olgiate Olona Mayor

 

 

As already happened in 2020, this year too we have regretfully decided not to meet physically to commemorate the plane crash of June 26, 1959. My affectionate greeting above all to the relatives of the victims and to all those who are used to attend the commemoration to keep the memory of this sad event alive, a disaster which struck our country 62 years ago, leaving an indelible mark in the collective memory of Olgiate Olona community that I represent.

 

I thank the organizers of the commemoration to whom my applause and appreciation always go for the passion and dedication in remembering our unfortunate brothers and sisters who were aboard the TWA aircraft and who ended their earthly existence in the sky of Olgiate Olona.

 

A special thought also goes to our students in the eighth grade and their teachers involved in the educational project in memory of the plane crash which this year - due to the restrictions imposed for the containment and prevention of the covid-19 emergency - unfortunately has not taken place.

 

Today I think it is right to remember also all the friends linked in different ways to the sad event of June 26, 1959, who passed away in the recent months, in particular our fellow citizen Giuseppe Cerana and Antonio Monti from Vergiate, eyewitnesses of the plane crash who took part in the rescue operations: their constant presence at the commemorations of these years, their emotion and their silences have taught us so much, and for this reason they will always have a special place in our hearts.

 

We have lived in an emergency for a year and a half. To date, we have not yet left behind one of the most difficult periods of the recent decades, but now we seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We look to the future with great hope!

 

The coronavirus pandemic has profoundly changed us, it has limited our social life and reminded us that we are vulnerable people, but at the same time it has also left us a great lesson that we must treasure: in the difficulty, it has made us understand that only all together, with the commitment of all and with unity of purpose, can we overcome obstacles that at first may seem insurmountable.

 

For me it is a great honor to be the first citizen of the people of Olgiate Olona: in this long period of pandemic, my fellow citizens have shown great civic sense and strong solidarity. The same solidarity that our grandparents had towards the relatives of the victims who rushed to Olgiate Olona in the days of the crash in that distant June 1959.

 

Solidarity is a feeling of brotherhood, of moral help between the people of a group, of a community, and the family of those who care about the memory of June 26 has no limits of time and space. Today, once again, it is solidarity that makes us feel close to all those who lost their loved ones in the plane crash of June 26, 1959.

 

Each of the seventy immortal lives has left a great void: our closeness to the families of the victims and our collective prayer can somehow fill that void with love and hope. This is my sincere wish on this day of remembrance.

 

Dr. Giovanni Montano
Olgiate Olona Mayor

 

On Saturday November 27, 2021, in Santi Innocenti church of Olgiate Olona (in the complex of Villa Greppi-Gonzaga, seat of the Municipality), ten most deserving works produced by the students in the eighth grade of Dante Alighieri school in 2019/2020 school year with the 11th edition of the educational project in memory of June 26, 1959, were awarded. All the authors of the works – invited to attend with their parents – received a merit certificate; authors of three best works, Gabriel Mazzilli, Rachele Maria Vittoria Scordamaglia Ferrari and Gianluca Albè received also a book-coupon sponsored by Assistenza e sicurezza Olgiate Olona of Fabio Casarotto.

Documents related to the commemorative events of 2021

 

November 27, 2021 - Awarding of the deserving works of 2020

 

Introductory comment to the award ceremony

 

Commemoration of June 26, 2021 - 62nd anniversary

 

Press releases of Municipality of Olgiate Olona - Message of Olgiate Olona Mayor

 

International prayer in suffrage

 

June 10, 2021 - Press releases of Municipality of Olgiate Olona

 

Olgiate Olona, 62nd anniversary of the plane crash still essential: memory and solidarity to honor History and respect the present

 

Selection of articles related to the commemorative events of 2021

 

PrimaSaronno.it  June 26, 2021
62 anni fa il disastro aereo di Olgiate Olona

 

La prealpina  June 26, 2021
Il disastro aereo di 62 anni fa

 

Malpensa24.it  June 26, 2021
Olgiate ricorda il disastro aereo, il sindaco ai cittadini: «Esempio di solidarietà»

 

VareseNews.it  June 21, 2021
Disastro aereo di Olgiate Olona, commemorazione ristretta ma significativa

 

Malpensa24.it  June 13, 2021
Memoria e solidarietà a Olgiate: per il disastro aereo del 59 ricordo a distanza