MT TOM B-17 MEMORIAL

The Recollection of Committee Member
James Morrissey on the Design of the Memorial

July 11, 2020

Design Concept

The design concept of the B-17 Memorial, or big idea, was to link the event of a tragic plane crash with Mt. Tom in a meaningful and spiritual way.  The purpose was to create a defined space where people could reflect, contemplate, and always remember what occurred at the site on July 9, 1946.

The basic form of the memorial space is circular. The circle is an ancient spiritual form for people. It encourages inward thinking and contemplation.

The basic material is stone. The dominant elements consist of large chunks taken from the mountain. The choice of stone is threefold: one, it represents the mountain’s role in the event; two, it represents the closest material example we have to something eternal; and three, it was the discovery of a small cairn of stones acknowledging the crash that propelled a group of people to build a more permanent memorial.

The plant material selection was based on native species.

The conceptual design relied on native material to form a space and transform a small part of the mountain into a landscape of meaning.  The intent was to inspire visitors to connect with the natural surroundings of Mt. Tom while contemplating the tragic event of the B-17 crash that claimed the lives of 25 servicemen returning home from World War II.

Site Selection / Design Development

The site was chosen because it’s within the geographic bounds of the crash.  Discernible physical scars from the crash still remain etched into the landscape surrounding the site.  The committee agreed that even though it would be a more difficult endeavor to build the memorial on the side of the mountain, it was important for the marker to be on the actual site.  We believed the location would give the memorial space a better contextual meaning.  Equally important, the site sits atop a natural stone precipice adjacent to an access road that affords a dramatic view over the Pioneer Valley.  On a clear day the viewer can see Westover Field near the horizon, the original destination of the flight.

The design composition is a simple path that directs the visitor from the access road up to the precipice where the memorial space is located. The visitor passes up through a grid of Birch trees.  Birch trees are native to the site and are a successional plant species, but the dominant site vegetation is Oak and hardwoods.  The Birch are used as a metaphor for regeneration.  The grid arrangement of white barked trees looks out of place on the mountain side and the distinct contrast is intentional.  It is meant to signify that a distinctly human intervention or event occurred there. 

As the visitor moves up the path and passes through the grid of Birch, they enter the circular memorial space.  The space is defined in part by a wall of basalt boulders that rise out of the ground forming an arc inspired by a flight pattern.  The wall though, abruptly ends, even as it is rising, the same way the lives of the young servicemen ended at a time when they were entering into a period of ascent.  There is a slight gap for the broken cycle of life, then a granite monument stone is set in place listing the names of those who perished.  The monument stone is angled upward, picking up from the rise of the basalt wall continuing the upward trajectory of the souls of the perished toward the celestial heavens.  The stone represents all we have left, the memory of the young men, and that is what we can carry forward.  The remainder of the circular space is a cobbled together wall and bench, the appropriate metaphor for the attempt by a group of people doing their best to complete the circle for these young men and their families in a meaningful way.  The memorial is our humble token of appreciation for the sacrifices made by the few for the greater good of the many.

The Design Process

It is important to state that the design and construction of the B-17 Memorial was done by a committee.  It is the collective result of a group whose purpose was simply to build a proper and lasting memorial. 

A primary influencing factor in the overall design was a small cairn of stones anonymously stacked on the side of the access road.  Attached to the cobbled cairn was a laminated note informing passersby of the B-17 crash that occurred at the site in July of 1946.  The note encouraged each passerby to place a stone in memory of those who perished.  Norman Cote of Northampton, MA walked up and down the access road as part of his daily exercise regimen.  Norman at the time was an elderly man who was so moved by the message that he brought it to Bob Cahillane, Northampton Director of Veteran’s Affairs and convinced him that they needed to construct a permanent memorial.  The project was launched.  I read a newspaper article featuring Norman’s mission to build the memorial, so I called him on the telephone and offered to assist him in any way I could with the project.  It was during that initial conversation that we agreed some sort of a stone arrangement should be conceptually integral to any design.  Norman suggested I join the committee, which I did immediately after hanging up the phone.

The committee first decided to meet on a monthly basis at the Holyoke, MA War Memorial Building.  We operated under committee rules with motions, votes, recorded minutes, etc.  It was a team effort of volunteers from the start and the group made decisions together.  The final design and construction was a direct result of that process.

My early role on the committee was to serve as the landscape architect.  The committee began gathering information about the crash and distributing it to committee members.  The three Veteran’s agents, Bob Cahillane from Northampton, Stan Parsons of Easthampton and Jack Guerin of Holyoke were elected chairs.  The three were able to access a trove of information from the federal government.  Committee member Bob Schwobe was an amateur historian and a resident expert on MT Tom. Information about the crash, news articles, personal accounts, flight records, and more information were gathered, distributed and discussed.  Because one of the victims was Red Cross personnel, Rick Lee, the Director of the Western Massachusetts Chapter also joined the committee and distributed historical information related to the crash from Red Cross files. All that information and committee discussion became the basis for how we were going to put together and develop a design for the memorial.

  My contributions to the committee began with site analysis, site assessments, and evaluations.  And when the committee chose the preferred site, my role shifted to drawing up design concepts and proposals based on committee discussions.  When the conceptual design was agreed upon, my work focused on final design drawings to begin estimating cost.  Next came formal design renderings and a scale model to assist with fundraising efforts. Jack Guerin, Bill Simmons and I met with several business organizations and clubs presenting the project to help raise funds. Our presentations were universally well-received, and donations began to support the project.

In the meantime, Bob Cahillane met with property owners to gain legal permission to build the project and maintain access to it.

Throughout all this, the project was consistently gaining momentum and a much broader public interest.  The committee, through its information gathering, was reaching more and more people who were either connected with the crash, intrigued by the project’s efforts, or simply just wanted to contribute something.  Another important addition to the committee was Linda Abrams, a former VA manager.  Soon after Linda joined the effort, she was able to contact family members of each victim.  She also received commitments from each family that at least one person would attend the dedication ceremony in July of 1996.

As everything grew, the committee responded by modifying the original design of the memorial space.  We had to increase the size of its footprint during the construction phase so we could accommodate more people.  The early work of the committee created a simple, strong and adaptable design concept.  The vastness of the site accommodated the expansion of the circular memorial space to add more volume without the need to make any major design changes.

Generosity from a wide range of people, businesses and organizations made the project possible. A unique, custom design was a challenge at this site.  For example, Labrie Construction operated a quarry on the other side of MT Tom.  They donated the basalt, allowed our stone mason (Bruce Mason) and me to individually select each boulder so we could carefully build the rising arc wall.  Pete Labrie even drove each boulder approximately one mile up to the site with his bucket loader.  The MT Tom Ski area and its general manager David Moore also donated assistance by delivering materials and loaning their heavy equipment and an operator.  The Air National Guard spent a weekend drill camping on the mountain and physically preparing the site for construction.  There are too many more people to name who contributed in so many ways to the outcome of the memorial, and it was the combined generosity and spirit of cooperation of many that helped complete the project.

Norman Cote was really the spiritual leader of the project.  He was soft spoken, but very determined to see the B-17 Memorial become a reality and provided plenty of inspiration to the committee. He never missed a meeting.  And Bob Cahillane was no doubt the leader of the effort. Bob managed the overall project and kept everything moving forward.  He was a true driving force.  His influence and work were so valuable to overall project.

No recollection of mine pertaining to the design and construction of the B-17 Memorial can be complete without praising the B-17 Memorial Committee.  The committee was mission-centric, and as selfless a group of people that I’ve ever been associated with.  That particular group of people, all of them, gave simply because that’s what they wanted to do with their time.  They were a true team, fully invested by their effort, and together we accomplished what we set out to do, build a proper and lasting memorial to honor those who lost their lives in the service for us all. I feel privileged and honored to have had the opportunity to work collaboratively with so many compassionate people.   I love them all.

- James Morrissey