A Package with a Story

On July 16, 1996, UB philosophy professor Peter Hare mailed an urgent package overseas. The next day, it was aboard TWA Flight 800 when the plane crashed off Long Island, killing all 230 people on board.

Months later, the damaged package was returned to Hare and eventually became part of the Peter Hare Papers in the University Archives. Its stained wrapper, handwritten label and Postal Service letter preserve an unexpected connection between one professor’s life and a national tragedy.

Photo: Julie Pavlock