Durkin, who rescued Howard Hughes from plane crash, dies at 89
wazzzy
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - William Durkin, the Marine who pulled Howard
Hughes from the wreckage of a plane he had been test-piloting over
Beverly Hills, has died. He would have turned 90 Sunday.
Durkin died Saturday at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs
of a heart attack, said his daughter, Kimberly Durkin.
There were rumors after the rescue that Durkin received a generous
reward from the aviation giant, but his daughter said he refused to
take any money from Hughes, who died in 1976.
"There was a lot of talk over the years that he rewarded him with
gazillions of dollars, which is just not true," Kimberly Durkin said.
"They were friends. They cavorted with each other for many years. He
never got any big payoff because he wouldn't take it. He felt you
shouldn't be paid off for doing what was right."
Durkin was on his way to meet a date on July 7, 1946, when he saw the
fiery wreckage of Hughes' XF-11 reconnaissance plane. Hughes was burned
on 78 percent of his body and mangled from his forehead to below his
knees. On July 12, he hovered near death, but he rallied the next day.
Less than a year later, Hughes climbed back into an XF-11 cockpit, a
"twin" of the crashed plane, for a successful test flight.
The crash was the centerpiece of Martin Scorsese's acclaimed 2004 film
"The Aviator," which starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes.
William Lloyd Durkin was born on April 30, 1916, in Oil City, Pa. He
retired with the rank of captain, his daughter said.
After serving in the Marines, Durkin worked in several different
capacities in the food and beverage business, his daughter said. He
retired in Palm Springs.
Besides Kimberly Durkin, he is survived by his wife, Diane, daughter
Denise, and several grandchildren.
R H Draney
>
>There were rumors after the rescue that Durkin received a generous
>reward from the aviation giant, but his daughter said he refused to
>take any money from Hughes, who died in 1976.
Say, is Melvin Dumar still alive?...r
--
I may not know much about art, but I know
what they tell me I'm supposed to like.
deb...@comcast.net
Melvin, 61, is a cancer survivor, recently having a bone marrow
transplant. He currently lives in Brigham City, UT, with his wife
Bonnie.