OXFORD, Miss. – “Miracle on the Hudson” survivor Dave Sanderson will visit with Ole Miss students and members of the Lafayette-Oxford-University community Oct. 3-4.
Sanderson is speaking on behalf of the American Red Cross, which affected his own experience on the infamous Flight 1549. The plane, which was on its way to Seattle from New York, struck a flock of Canada geese, lost engine power and landed in the Hudson River just off midtown Manhattan, with no loss of life.
Sanderson is scheduled to share his inspiring story with students, faculty and general public at the Overby Center on campus beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, free of charge.
“The first person he saw after helping save the lives of many people on Flight 1549 was a Red Cross member waiting for the survivors with blankets,” said Jennifer Coleman, community chapter executive for the Red Cross. “He wants to spread the word that the American Red Cross is not just there to help with massive natural disasters, but is active 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Sanderson also is scheduled to speak with two freshmen-year experience classes in the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management.
“Dave Sanderson will show his audience you don’t have to wear a cape to be a hero,” Coleman said. “Through his own experience from ‘The ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ he will explain how even in a tough situation a person can turn into a leader. He not only survived a terrible circumstance, but came out a hero.”
Coleman was the last person to step off the back part of the plane after the landing and was largely responsible for making sure many others made it out safely.
For more information, visit http://davesandersonspeaks.com/ For more information on the American Red Cross, visit http://redcross.org/mississippi, like the Red Cross on Facebook or follow it on Twitter @RedCrossMiss.