There are memories that stick with a human being as they grow older, sometimes referred to as flashbulb memory. Some recall these incidents in fine detail, whereas others may internalize it more as a figurative brain-bruise.
Depending on age, many may think of 9/11 or the assassination of John F. Kennedy, but Milwaukeeans likely add the collapse of the crane called Big Blue to the list. This tragedy occurred during construction of Miller Park in 1999, where three area ironworkers lost their lives.
This weekend marks the somber 25th anniversary of the Miller Park crane collapse and the men who perished in the accident. The glory of the new stadium was marred with a tragedy, delaying the opening of the state-of-the-art, retractable-roof facility by a year.
Ironworkers Local 8 will host a ceremony at American Family Field at 10:30 a.m. Sunday to pay tribute to three fallen ironworkers, Jeffrey Wischer, William DeGrave and Jerome Starr, who perished in the 1999 collapse. And at 1:10 p.m., there will be a pregame tribute, with a video feature, moment of silence and first pitch from Ironworkers Local 8.
Jeffrey Wischer, 40, William DeGrave, 39, and Jerome Starr, 52, perished when Big Blue fell into the partially constructed stadium during a lift, dropping the 450-ton section of the ballpark’s retractable roof. The three ironworkers had been guiding the roof section onto the tracks from a man-basket suspended by a separate crane nearby. Big Blue and portions of the roof collapsed, striking the man basket they were in.
And as we remember these three men, we also look back to an eerie and little-known connection: three men also perished during the construction of Milwaukee County Stadium.
On Dec. 13, 1950, Joseph Wicks, a carpenter foreman from Chicago and a member of the pile-driving crew setting the footing for the new stadium, was fatally struck in the head by a large piece of equipment and died on site.
Two additional workers were fatally injured in a mishap on July 25, 1952. Fred Maypark, 46, and Carl Walter, 43, both of Milwaukee, were in a hoisting bucket when it plummeted to the ground from a height of 90 feet. Maypark, an ironworker, died instantly; Walter, a hoisting engineer, and died of his injuries six days after the accident.
Some anniversaries are painful, but it’s important to remember. As we look back on the anniversary of Big Blue, let’s also look back to the men before them – and after – who have risked their lives to build our city’s iconic buildings.
