I shall never forget December 27, 1965.  I was in the hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, recovering from back surgery, and my father entered my room with a very grim expression on his face.  “Son,” he said, “I’m afraid I have some very bad news for you.”  He went on to tell me that my friend, Donald Fisher, a member of the Milan High School Class of 1961, had been killed by a freight train at the railroad crossing at Milan.
     At first, I was in a state of shock.  My mind immediately went back to so many of the memories I had of Donald.  Since we were the same age, we had been in school together, and I especially recalled many memories of the experiences we had shared as members of the school band and the school dance band.  I played alto and baritone saxophone, and Donald played valve trombone and baritone horn.
     Because I was still in the hospital after undergoing surgery I was unable to visit Donald’s family or attend his funeral.  As the memories flashed through my mind, I wept.  How could this be, I kept asking myself.  Donald was such a kind person.  His personality was outgoing, and, like the old proverbial saying goes, “He never met a stranger.”  I honestly could not think of a single person who knew him who did not like him.  I also kept remembering what a good student Donald had been in math and science.  I had assumed that he would be employed in the type of job which would utilize these talents and skills.  I just could not believe that after only a little more than four years after our graduation from high school this bright young man who had been a good friend was suddenly dead.
     This was my initial experience with death that is caused by a train-vehicle collision.  However, there are scores of individuals and families who have experienced grief due to this type of accident.
     LaVyrle Spencer opens her novel, Then Came Heaven, with a scene in which Krystyna Olczak is killed by a freight train.  She had been visiting her parents’ home where they had been canning pickles, and she was driving back home and was trying to beat the train to the crossing.  In this story Spencer details the grief which is experienced by Krystyna’s husband, Eddie; their daughters, Anne and Lucy; Krystyna’s family and church; and the entire community.
     Those who have experienced the loss of a loved one due to a train-vehicle accident will find this novel to be very informative and inspiring, for not only do the various characters grieve and remember Krystyna, but they also make the necessary adjustments to her death and move along into the experiences which await them in the future.
     Donald Fisher occupies a special place in the collective memory of his classmates in the MHS Class of 1961.  We miss you, Donald.