Young Filmmakers Explain Journey and Wear Wristbands for Remembrance

On Nov. 28, 2004, Charlie and Teddy and their father, Dick Ebersol, were among six people on board a jet plane that crashed while taking off during a snow storm from the airport in the small town of Montrose, about 185 miles southwest of Denver.

Charlie and Dick Ebersol survived, but Teddy and two crewmen died in the crash.

Dick Ebersol is head of NBC Sports and is known for his love of the Olympics. He is married to actress Susan Saint James.

After Friday’s meeting with students, Charlie recalled the events of that November day and talked about the healing process that has followed.

Just before the plane crashed, Charlie Ebersol said Teddy was watching a DVD recapping the Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series win.

As the plane was going down, Charlie Ebersol said while making a nosedive gesture with his hand, Teddy turned to his father and said, “Dad, I’m scared.”

In memory of their brother, Charlie and Willie wear rubber bracelets imprinted with a line Teddy included in a speech he made at school: “The finish line is the beginning of a whole new race.”

Those, and other words written by Teddy are especially meaningful to the brothers.

“He wrote a 36-page autobiography that said any member of my family would run into a burning building to save another member,” Charlie said. “He said that on the highway of love, my family is neck and neck with God.”

Willie, 19, a sophomore at the University of Southern California, said has found comfort in how fully his brother lived in such a short time.

“He lived a complete arc,” Willie Ebersol said, saying that seeing the Red Sox become world champions was a high point for his brother. “I believe he died having finished everything that was important to him.

“We used to fight all the time and he taught me that if you really love someone, you have to work on it. You have to work really hard because you don’t want to be mad at someone you love.”

The brothers are traveling the country talking about their South Africa documentary, which will air on HBO in October.

The documentary, which cost $23,000 to make, has already raised more than $1 million to benefit the Ithuteng Trust School. The film follows three students who attend the school and the peril of their everyday lives.

The documentary caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who recently featured the young filmmakers on her show.

Read the rest of the article here