CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Ralph E. Otto, 67, Wilmette, Ill.,
died Aug. 10 in an airplane collision near Rock Springs-
Sweetwater County Airport, Rock Springs, Wyo. Otto was a board
of regents member of Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, one of 28
colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA).
Otto was a cardiothoracic surgeon at Resurrection Medical
Center, Chicago, and was a member of the Flying Physicians
Association, Montgomery, Texas. Otto was flying one of the
planes involved in the crash. Dr. C. Michael Downey, 67,
Columbus, Ohio, and Dave Knezovich, 54, Rock Springs also died in
the crash.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Otto and Downey were
flying from Montana and had been cleared to land when their plane
collided with an aircraft piloted by Knezovich, who was on a solo
student flight.
Otto graduated from Wartburg College with a degree in
chemistry and biology in 1963 and has served on the board of
regents since 1992.
Otto and his late wife, Diane, who died in December 2007
from breast cancer, were members of Lutheran Church of the
Ascension, Northfield, Ill. Plans for a memorial service are
pending.
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Information about Dr. Otto and the plane crash is at
http://wartburg.edu/Article.aspx?ID=2891 on the Web.
*Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College,
Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer he is an intern with the ELCA News
Service.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
