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Sunday Morning News

Alaska Airlines Flight 261: Victims Memorialized

Aired February 6, 2000 - 8:02 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The grief remains, but one of the first steps in the healing process has been taken by the families and friends of Flight 261's victims. Somber memorials were held yesterday for those lost in the crash.

Here's CNN's Anne McDermott.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNE MCDERMOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how the Coast Guard said good-bye. This is how the surfers did it. Though it may look odd to outsiders, this is surfer tradition, their way of showing respect to the people of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 who died in their waters.

Meanwhile, the families of the passengers of Flight 261 were saying good-bye at a service at Pepperdine University down the coast in Malibu, where they were told they were not alone. The secretary of transportation read a letter from President Clinton.

RODNEY SLATER, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: Americans throughout our nation share your grief.

MCDERMOTT: A clergyman reminded the families that the dead will never be forgotten.

MSGR. CHRISTIAN VAN LIEFDE: They will always, always be in your hearts and in your thoughts and nothing, nothing can ever take that away from you.

MCDERMOTT: This ceremony in Riverside, California was for the crew of Flight 261. They were remembered with tears and funny stories, like the one about Captain Ted Thompson, who was described by all as a man who really loved his family.

TED LEENERTS, ALASKA AIRLINES PILOT: I remember briefly just one story about the time Freddy, that's Ted's son, was in the hospital and younger Beth, that's Ted's daughter, was unable to visit because of her age. Undaunted by this, Ted stuffed Beth into an airline flight bag in order to sneak her into Freddy's hospital room.

MCDERMOTT: And then it was over. But there were still a few more good-byes to be said back at the beach...

UNIDENTIFIED MOURNER: May god be with all the families and the crew.

MCDERMOTT: He didn't know the passengers. She didn't either. They just wanted to say good-bye.

Anne McDermott, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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