February 22, 2007 1:51 PM

Kevin Vaughan on The Crossing

Mark_Wolf(Q) Tell us about the gathering last night in Greeley.
Kevin_Vaughan(A) In a word, it was amazing. The Union Colony Civic Center staff said that between 650 and 700 people were there, and that included seven survivors of the accident, a number of parents and siblings of children on the bus, and more aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews than I could count. It was very touching to see so many people come together and support the families who lived through this tragedy.

Stephanie(Q) Kevin, I have really enjoyed this series. Thank you for writing it, and thanks to the families for sharing.
Kevin_Vaughan(A) Thank you for your nice note. This series would not have been possible without the families. So many came to the forum last night; that was really gratifying and emotional for all of us at the paper who worked on this project.

Mark_Wolf(Q) We have a video of the event up on the Web site. Tell us about some of the people you spoke with.
Kevin_Vaughan(A) Where do I start? Alice Larson Richardson, who was badly injured and lost her brother, talked about telling the story to the Rocky. Many of the survivors there hadn't seen others in years, if not decades, and they were trading e-mail addresses and phone numbers. A niece of bus driver Duane Harms drove several hours to be there. I talked with cousins and children of people on the bus. It was just an amazing, amazing experience.

Timothy_Geisick(Q) Kevin, Just wanted to thank you for speaking of the Memorial fund last night, it made a huge difference. And Thank you and Chris for the flowers for my Mother Yesterday.
Kevin_Vaughan(A) Tim, you are welcome for all of it. I know it was an emotional day for you. It meant a lot to all of us that you wanted to be there last night.

Colobuff92(Q) It seems like a black cloud hung over those on the bus that day, not only did the accident happen, but so many other horrible things happened to those on the bus later in life. I know you don't have an answer, but what do the famalies feel about this?
Kevin_Vaughan(A) Well, I know many of them wonder why they've been visited by other heartache. I know many of them have strong faith, and believe that it's simply not for them to know or understand right now. I certainly thought a lot about that as I was working on the stories -- about how unpredictable, and unfair, life can be. I think that accentuates part of what the series is all about, which is recognizing your blessings and not taking them for granted because they could be taken away any time.
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Mark_Wolf(Q) Every reporter gets emotionally invested in the stories they do to some degree. What was this one like for you and how do you keep the wall between reporter and subject intact?
Kevin_Vaughan(A) This was emotional, to be certain. Last night was far more emotional for me than I had imagined it might be beforehand. As for how you keep the wall up, well, you act professionally but you also act humanely. You deal with people in an honest way, but you also recognize that they are human beings and should be treated with respect and care. I know it can be dangerous to get too close to subjects of stories, but it's also dangerous not to get close enough -- your stories aren't as rich or honest.

Wendy_S.(Q) I am sorry that I missed the forum in Greeley. I am just now watching the video. How amazing that so many family members attended. Their courage in opening their hearts to the community is amazing.
Kevin_Vaughan(A) I agree. And remember, several members of one family had just attended a funeral for their mother earlier in the day, and several members of another family had a funeral planned this morning for a brother. And yet they all wanted to be there. This is an amazing bunch of people.

Mark_Wolf(Q) Anything new about a compilation of the series after it's finished running in the Rocky?
Kevin_Vaughan(A) We are planning to offer a reprint, which will compile all of the chapters into one special section, that will be available in mid-March. We should have details soon on how people can order them.
Kevin_Vaughan(P) We also are planning a second, although much smaller, forum in Denver on March 7. We'll be announcing details on that in the coming days.

Mark_Wolf(Q) Anyone you saw last night who particularly surprised you by their presence?
Kevin_Vaughan(A) Well, certainly Duane Harms' niece was a surprise. A mother who had a son on the bus, who had initially been skeptical of the series, came up and introduced herself to me at the end, so that was nice. I was overwhelmed at how many people from the latest generation of Auburn families -- young men and women all the way from children up into their early 20s -- were there.

Wendy_S.(Q) How long did it take from when you received approval for the project to when the first chapter was published. Obviously a tremendous amount of research went into this project. I am just curious about the timeline.
Kevin_Vaughan(A) Well, first some background. I first thought about the possibilities of this story more than 20 years ago. In the past six or seven years, I did bits and pieces of the research between other assignments, and began compiling files on the accident. But we began work in earnest last May and full-time work -- no other assignments of any kind -- in August. All in all, it was about 8 months of pretty intensive work.

Mark_Wolf(Q) Are you planning any followup stories once the last chapter is published?
Kevin_Vaughan(A) Yes and maybe. We are planning to write an epilogue, which will run the day after the last chapter, that will look at what the series meant for the people who lived through Dec. 14, 1961. I suspect we will also follow the effort to erect a permanent memorial at the site. Beyond that, time will tell.

Renee(Q) I do hope the memorial fund was helped from the forum last night in Greeley.
Kevin_Vaughan(A) I don't know how much money was donated, but Tim told me he had "half a bucket of money" at the end of the night. I know every dollar will make a difference.