Flyers in flight

Last October, Bettsy McFarland Leech ’87 found herself in the dropoff lane of the Dayton International Airport frustrated and worried. 

She was dropping off her daughter, Allie, a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, for a flight back to school. But Allie was recovering from exploratory surgery on her abdomen just four days before.

With help from her husband, Leech was able to get Allie from the car to an airport wheelchair, and, as any worried mother would, Leech insisted she accompany her daughter to the gate to ensure everything went smoothly and she boarded safely.

“We had some initial resistance from the agent but ended up finding a solution due to the medical circumstances,” she said.

After getting through security and to Allie’s gate in one of Dayton’s relatively small terminals, Leech approached the agent at the desk to see if there was anything the airline could do to make her daughter more comfortable on the flight back to Colorado.

Luckily, Mark Russell ’80 was sitting within earshot of Leech. He stepped up to the desk to see if he could help. 

Through a quick conversation, Russell and Leech realized they were both Flyers. In fact, Russell was flying back home to Colorado after attending the Volunteer Summit with UD’s Alumni Association on campus. 

Russell gave up the more comfortable seat the airline had just upgraded him to.

“The plane ride is only two-and-a-half hours, and someone is concerned about their child,” Russell said. “In that situation, it was the right thing to do.” 

As the flight began boarding, Russell went along with Allie to help her onto the plane. He assisted her getting in and out of the wheelchair, put her bags into the overhead compartment for her and sat closeby in case she needed anything during the flight. 

“UD’s Marianist values can have an effect on everyone’s day-to-day life, and this is just one example of that,” Russell said. 

And Leech agreed, “I am just so thankful for the incredibly thoughtful decision he made that day. It made a world of difference to both myself and Allie. And it is something we will never forget.”

No matter the place, Flyers always find a way to find each other and lend a helping hand — even 40,000 feet in the air.

photos courtesy of Leech and Russell