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professor and became associate dean in the College of Health and Human Services before retiring. While earning these accomplishments


and well-publicized honors, Scheffer also cared privately for her daughter Amanda, who battled clinical depression. “I cope very well with life’s challenges because of the way Mom raised me,” says Amanda, who earned a bachelor’s in Theatre Dance Communications from Eastern in 1999 and a master’s in Drama: Text and Performance Studies from King’s College London Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2003. “I often felt imprisoned by depression, but I always knew there was another option. My mother’s love, example and counsel, combined with my faith, sustain me every day.”


of the woman who watched the plane go down and held me after I was pulled from the wreckage. I thought about how the rescuers must have felt when they arrived at the scene. It makes you think about the fragility of life. If it weren’t for their split- second actions, Wes and I wouldn’t have made it.” During their visit, Scheffer agreed to


accompany Wes to the crash site. “We had a major discussion about


Wedding photo of Elsie and Wesley Miner, 1937.


whether we should go to the site or not,” says Scheffer’s husband Kenneth, who accompanied her on the trip. “Barbara was afraid it would trigger memories. We ended up going for Wes.” The Wisconsin trip proved cathartic


Healing Old Wounds While Scheffer moved on almost immediately following the


plane crash, the door to the past remained ajar for Wes. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, he began


experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. To bring clarity and closure to the 1959 family tragedy, Wes began researching the crash details with the help of an aircraft accident investigator. Through phone calls and emails, he also learned the story of how he and Scheffer were rescued from the plane wreckage. In October 2009, Wes arranged a trip to Land O’ Lakes with Scheffer to reconnect with the remaining residents who were at the crash scene. “Initially, I felt pretty uncomfortable about going back,”


Scheffer says. “I buried the crash in my subconscious, but the residents of Land O’ Lakes didn’t. It had been big news in that small community, and a number of people wondered for years about what became of us. The people we met were extremely friendly and delighted to see that Wes and I are doing well, and we enjoyed the visit. “But it was strange to hear stories from the granddaughter


for Wes, who overcame PTSD. His research showed the plane was heavily loaded with people and equipment for a building project, and Miner had received an inaccurate weather report. Those factors, combined with the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, caused him to lose control of the plane. Wes published an account of the events leading up to the crash and subsequent Land O’ Lakes visit in a 2012 book titled “From Chicago, North Into Peril.” “Wes was very analytical at the crash site—it wasn’t a


traumatic experience for us,” Scheffer says. “He wanted to analyze exactly where the plane crashed and why. The clarity he achieved through writing the book brought an end to his nightmares.” Scheffer doesn’t have flashbacks about the crash or dwell on


the accident that claimed her parents and cousin. Retrograde amnesia has masked that pain. The determination to overcome life’s challenges became her driving force. “I was a different person before the crash,” she says. “If I try


really hard, I can reconnect to that person. But that incident hasn’t totally defined me. I’m basically an optimist, which helped me cope with what happened. It’s become who I am and part of my work. I like helping people find new directions, things that make life more full. The crash reinforced this for my brother and I.


We had no other option but to survive.” 3 Historical photographs are courtesy of Wes Miner


The Barbara K. Scheffer Endowed Scholarship in Nursing The Barbara K. Scheffer Endowed Scholarship in Nursing provides funding to a graduate nursing student in


Eastern’s PhD in Educational Studies–Nursing Education program. Scheffer’s children, Amanda Brown (BA99) and Daniel Scheffer, each made a generous $5,000 lead gift to spur the fundraising. After receiving a matching gift of $10,000 from an anonymous donor and additional contributions from colleagues, alumni, friends and family, the endowment now totals more than $25,000. To make a contribution, contact Rae Anne Yuskowatz at 734.487.8040.


Eastern | SPRING 2014 27


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