| Graduation Year | Class of 1979 |
| Date of Passing | Oct 08, 2010 |
| About | Park ranger raised in Duluth dies in Utah plane crash Brent McGinn graduated from Cathedral High School and got his start in the Park Service at Apostle Islands. By: John Myers, Duluth News Tribune, October 10, 2010 http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/180944/ A Duluth native who was chief law enforcement officer of a national park in Utah has died in a plane crash while scouting for an upcoming elk hunting trip. The body of Brent McGinn, 49, who graduated from Duluth Cathedral High School in 1979, was found in the wreckage early Saturday along with fellow Park Service law enforcement officer Laurie Axelson. The crash was discovered in a remote area of the Dixie National Forest in southern Utah. Both worked at the Glenn Canyon National Recreation Area on the Utah-Arizona border where McGinn served as the chief ranger. McGinn, the chief ranger at Glen Canyon, had worked at the national recreation area for nearly three years. He had started his career with the National Park Service as a technician at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in 1980. He had also worked at Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks and Canaveral National Seashore. McGinn is survived by his parents and three siblings. Axelson, 41, is believed to have owned the airplane and was pilot of the plane at the time of the crash in a mountainous area described as steep and mean terrain by a Garfield County Sheriff's Department official. Rescuers were brought to the scene in a Utah State Police helicopter which also was used to recover the victims. A National Park Service spokeswoman said it is believed the pair took off Friday night from the Bryce Canyon airport and were bound for the airport in Page, Arizona, near the headquarters for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, but failed to arrive as expected Friday night. Sometime Saturday morning, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area dispatchers were notified that the private plane was missing, prompting a search of the area. Three hours later, the wreckage of the Cessna 172 was found and McGinn and Axelson were confirmed dead, according to the Garfield County Sheriff's Department. ----------------- http://www.sympathytree.com/brentmcginnnps/ A Celebration of Life will be held in Page, Ariz. for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Park Rangers Brent McGinn and Laurie Axelsen on Thursday, October 14 at 1:00 pm MST (Arizona time). The event will be held at the Lake Powell Resort Pool Lawn. Due to logistical challenges, please do not send flowers. Mail may be sent to the following address where it will be forwarded to the families at McGinn Family, c/o Management Assistant, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, P.O. Box 1507, Page, AZ 86040. |
