Wichita vigil: No ‘magic words to make things better, but being there is what’s important’

Kathie Arnold, who helps thousands of visitors a month by manning the information desk at City Hall, took a brief break from her job just before noon Thursday to slip into the back row of the City Council chamber.

She was one of hundreds who came to mourn and show love and support for the families and victims of the American Airlines crash that killed 67 people Wednesday night when it collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C.

“More than anything, I just needed that peace . . . the inner peace,” Arnold said of why she came.

Almost every seat in the chamber was filled, and a number of people stood around the perimeter where they could find spots not already occupied by one of the numerous media outlets that flanked the seating.

“This is why we moved here,” said Mike Hendricks, pointing to all the people in the room.

He and his wife, Lori, moved from California to Wichita five years ago and attended the vigil to “show our respect, because it could have been anybody.”

Almost a quarter of attendees seemed to be city and county officials, including a number in elected roles, and leaders of the Wichita area’s religious community, only a handful of whom spoke.

There were tears, lots of lingering hugs among friends and associates and plenty of amens and other spiritual expressions of support as faith leaders spoke and cameras audibly clicked away.

“When we come together as one, there is power in prayer. Power in community,” said the Rev. Pamela Hughes Mason of the Greater Wichita Ministerial League, the most outwardly passionate of the vigil’s speakers.

One participant offered a stirring rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer” as the room was quiet with people listening, and Mason then led everyone in singing a few verses of another song that included the refrain, “We need you Lord, right now.”

It was a powerful moment as people didn’t hesitate to join their voices.

Rev. Ben Staley of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church said God has prepared all of us for moments like this when we can be examples for one another.

“Do you know the world is watching Wichita, Kansas?” he asked. “Let us be a light of hope. . . . We don’t know what’s coming next. And time together should be precious. And that we maybe should do better than we’ve been doing at caring for one another in spite of differences and all the things that would separate us from one another.”

As people await news of possible Wichitans and Kansans who were on the plane, some at the vigil were there in particular because of the skaters and families who were flying home from the national figure skating championships over the weekend followed by a workshop they attended.

Sean O’Reilly, general manager at the Wichita Ice Center, said he talked with numerous competitors and parents during their time here.

“I happened to speak with one of the parents whose kid just completed a triple axel for the first time on the ice,” O’Reilly said.

“I just asked him where his connecting flight was.”

The father happily told O’Reilly that he didn’t have one. His flight to D.C. was direct.

When news hit that the flight went down, O’Reilly said, “I was gutted.”

For Arnold, the city worker, the accident was an awful reminder.

“It brings back memories from 1961.”

She was a student at the University of Michigan and also was teaching figure skating when another plane crashed carrying the U.S. figuring skating team, killing all aboard.

Arnold said she spent this past weekend watching skating at Intrust Bank Arena.

Then she said she spent Wednesday night continually waking up and checking the TV to learn news of any possible rescues. There were none.

“I’ve got the program with all the pictures of those young people.”

A number of people who worked on hosting the championships were at the vigil, clearly struggling with grief.

At the end of the vigil, everyone was invited to gather outside at the Law Enforcement Memorial for final prayers.

Rabbi Michael Davis of Congregation Emanu-El, who didn’t speak at the vigil but did attend, had a bit of what could be taken as comforting advice for Wichitans moving forward in grief.

“Even if you can’t make things better, being present makes things better,” he said.

“You learn that as a chaplain, visiting people in hospitals. You’re not going to have the magic words to make things better, but being there is what’s important.”

Contributing: Michael Stavola

This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 2:59 PM.