It’s been quite the day for me. I started off in eastern Kansas where I was happy to attend the first profession of three young women entering religious life. I even got to meet a Cardinal who’s name rhymes with smirk.
From there I continued on to Kansas City where I would be staying the night. I had booked myself into the Sheraton Hotel in an area called the Crown Center. I chose this hotel because I am fascinated by disasters. As in I could watch disaster videos until the cows come home. There’s something deeply intriguing to me about watching things go wrong and then investigating why. Also, the fury of nature or the massive failure of physical materials when they give way to elemental forces usually due to the hubris of man is captivating to me.
So why this hotel?
Well, this hotel opened as a Hyatt Regency in 1980. It was magnificent. In particular, the lobby – which featured a four story atrium with “floating” (suspended) catwalks criss-crossing in the air – became a local hotspot. The hotel had begun hosting tea dances on Friday nights in that lobby. These dances, featuring big band music and merriment, attracted hundreds of locals.
And then it happened.
On a fine summer evening those catwalks collapsed and killed 114 people. See below.
When I checked in tonight, my son and I headed to our room high above the city. He turned on the TV and pulled up a video of the disaster. See below.
When the video started I froze in my tracks. That anniversary is now. I will of course say prayers in the lobby for the souls of the departed.
But of course the biggest takeaway?
STAY CONFESSED.
Harvey Millican's Blog: Musings of a Trad Dad 