Evening star., 1951-03-22
GU Delegation
Goes toFuneraI
0f4Air Victims
Prominent Student
Leaders Killed as
Plune Crashes

Several Georgetown University
faculty members and student!
were en- route to Mount Pleasant
Pa, today to pay their last re-
spects to four students who were
killed when the light plane carry
ing them to Chicago for the Eas-
ter holidays crashed near that
town yesterday.
The dead youths, all from Chi
cago, were B. j. Phoenix, killed
on his 22d birthday, a senior ano
holder of the highest elective Of
flee on the campus, as president
of the yard; Robert Beaudry. %
a law student and a prefect in
the College of Arts and Sciences;
Vincent B. Nyhan, jr., 81, a senior
and a former editor of the stu
dent newspaper, the Hoya, and
Joseph F. Mertes, jr., 18, owner
and pilot of the plane, and the
son of the president of the R. S
Bacon Veneer Co. in Chicago. He
was freshman in the College OF
Arts and Sciences.
The identifications were made
by Charles T. Baker, aviation in
veStigator for the Pennsylvania
State Police, from papers found
on the victims.
20 Miles From Pittsburgh.
The bodies last night were in
the Luther Grimm funeral home
in Mount Pleasant, which is
about 20 miles southeast of Pitts
burgh. The funerals are expected
to be held Monday in Chicago.
Faculty members who will at
tend the funerals include the Rev
Brian A. McGrath, dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences
Among the students who already
have gone to Mount Pleasant are
John Malone of Texas, room
mate of Mr.. Phoenix, and other
friends of his; Walter Howell of
Chicago, and Burke Mccarthy of
Evansville, Ind.
Friends of the dead students
said the rosary last night in
Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown
University.
Civil Aeronautic Administration
officials at Allegheny Airport said
the private Navion four-place
plane apparently ran into a heavy
SnowStorm some As minutes before
1t crashed in a field near Mount
Pleasant.
Radioed of Trouble.
State police said young Mertes
radioed Allegheny County Air
port at 1890 pm. (EST), telling
them he was lost in heavy soup
and heading east, out of fuel.
The single-engined plane, which
was based at Washington National
Airport. left here at 1920 am.
on contact flight to Pittsburgh.
1t was due to arrive in Chicago
at 4:30 pm. (CST).
A witness, Clarence Akney, told
the Associated Press the plane
sped by his kitchen window and
crashed, at almost vertical
angle, about 100 yards from his
farm home, 3 miles east of Mount
Pleasant.
A woman in filling station
near the crash scene said she
heard the aircraft flying low in
the snowstorm. She said ''it gave
out roar and suddenly stopped" "
Another witness, Mrs. Vera Je-
zewski, said the aircraft appeared
to be attempting to land. She
said that, as it neared the ground.
the nose suddenly dropped and
the plane crashed.
The Rev. Emery A. Ross, prefect
of discipline at Georgetown Uni
versity. said that when student
friends of young Mertes heard of
the plane crash, they went to his
room. There they found a letter
from his father, urging the youth
not to fly home because of a fore
cast of bad weather.
Father Ross said the four STU
dents had just finished the senior
retreat, a period of prayer and
meditation.
Father Ross said Mr.. Phoenix
was an excellent student leader.
He said he had a two-hour talk
with the student Tuesday morn
ing about school matters.
Mr.. Phoenix was president of
his freshman class. lie also was
station manager of WGTB, the
campus radio station. He was
on the Board of Governors of
the university's Chicago club
Boxing and debating also held
his interest. He was the founder
of the Georgetown Chapter of the
Knights of Columbus.
Mr.. Nynan, a social science eco
nomics major, had been with the
Hoya since his transfer to the
College of Arts and Sciences from
the Foreign Service School in his
second year. He became editor
last December and served until
last month.
He was junior prom chairman
in l949 and also was active in
the Chicago club, acting as presl-
dent in his sophomore year, and
helping to rewrite it's constitution
last year. He was active in the
Glee Club and the Philodemic Sc
ciety, debating group.
Mr.. Beaudry was in his first
year of studying law. He was
graduated from John Carroll Unit
versity in Cleveland last June
He was corridor prefect on the
fourth floor of Ryan Hall, fresh
man corridor where young Mertes
lived.