"Long overdue" memorial unveiled in Denver 70 years after bombing of United Flight 629

November 1st marks 70 years since the horrific bombing of United Flight 629 in Colorado, which claimed 44 lives. Now, for the first time, a permanent memorial will honor the memory of those lives lost in this tragedy.

Shortly after the "Mainliner Denver" left Stapleton Air Field, it exploded over a farm eight miles east of Longmont. Investigators discovered Colorado resident John Gilbert Graham had placed 25 sticks of dynamite attached to a timer in his mother, Daisie King's, checked bag. King had placed Graham in an orphanage when he was young, and he planned to kill her and collect the payout from an insurance policy he purchased in her name at the airport. All 39 passengers and five crew members aboard died when the bomb exploded, igniting the large fuel load and blowing the aircraft apart. Graham was convicted of the murder of his mother and executed in 1957.

Now, after 70 years, several organizations have created the first permanent memorial to honor the victims. Officials said over 100 family members of the victims traveled to Colorado to participate in events in honor of those killed and two FBI agents who helped solve the case and brought Graham to justice. Many of those survivors spoke about how the event affected their families and what the memorial means to them.

"It was the first commercial airline bombing in history. Our father was the co-pilot; he was only 26 years old," Cynthia Owens, daughter of victim Donald White, told CBS Colorado.

She was only two when her father was killed in the explosion. White's son, Jerry Fiske, was seven when his father died. He said Graham was never charged for the deaths of the other victims.

"At the time, there was no federal law about blowing up airplanes. So, when they decided to prosecute this individual, they prosecuted him under Colorado statutes, and he was charged with one count of murder, his mother, and he was convicted and executed just based on the one charge."

A dedication ceremony was held Saturday for the new memorial, located at the entrance of the FlyteCo Tower on Uinta Street. The tower once served as an air traffic control tower. The memorial is the first to be constructed in memory of the victims of the disaster, a move former District Attorney Mitchell Morrissey said is long overdue.

"I've been to the memorial for Columbine High School. I've been to the Aurora theater shooting memorial. Those were built very soon after those tragedies. But they were because the people that died in those tragedies were local, and you all are from all over the country. Some of you, outside the country," said Morrissey as he addressed the packed room. "It took a lot to get you here, and I'm so glad that you're here."

The families of the FBI agents who solved the case were also presented with awards from the FBI Citizens' Academy during a ceremony on Friday at the Denver Crime Lab. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and the Denver City Council also signed proclamations declaring Nov. 1, 2025, as United Flight 629 Victims Memorial Day and ordered the Denver City and County Building to be lit up in blue to honor the victims.

Another event Saturday night focused on the investigation and how the crime influenced changes to airport security.

A separate memorial is also planned to be placed at the crash site. In collaboration with the Denver Police Museum, an exhibit at History Colorado details the bombing and its enduring legacy.