Community Corner

DHS Alum Killed in W. Va. Air Show Crash

John "Jack" Mangan was a 1975 graduate of Dedham High School.

John "Jack" Mangan, a 1975 graduate of , was killed in a plane crash at an air show in West Virginia Saturday afternoon, according to media reports.

Mangan was a three-year baseball player and a National Honors Society member as a junior and senior, according to his 1975 yearbook entry.

"Needless to say, it is quite a shock," said Peter Zahka, a friend and classmate. "This is just flabbergasting. You don't expect such a catastrophic event like this." 

Find out what's happening in Dedhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mangan attended the Air Force Academy after graduating, and was currently managing a group of restaurants in the South and Midwest while living with his family in Cornelius, N.C., according to a Charlotte Observer report.

Jack Mangan, as friends called him, grew up in Riverdale and then moved to the Greenlodge area of Dedham, Zahka said. 

Find out what's happening in Dedhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"He was a smart guy," he said. "Jack was a great guy."

Mangan was flying his T-28 plane in Martinsburg, W. Va., performing a stunt when his plane crashed to the ground, according to a Martinsburg news site.

Mangan is survived by a wife, also a Dedham native, and three children, according to the Observer.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here