by Carol Shaben
I’ve often discovered that individuals of exemplary character and unbridled enthusiasm surround themselves with like-minded souls. To my great fortune, one such person in Jackie’s orbit was my editor, Anne Collins, publisher at the Knopf Random Canada Publishing Group. Within hours of receiving the proposal, she called Jackie with an offer. Anne’s commitment to and support for this book has since been unwavering. Her extraordinary talent and vision as an editor is etched into every page. Anne, it has been a joy, inspiration and privilege to work with you.
I’ve also been fortunate to work with Amanda Lewis, associate editor, Knopf Random Canada. Not only is Amanda a skilled and sharp-eyed editor, she hails from the west coast and a firefighting family, both of which added to her impressive attention to, and understanding of, the characters, setting and subject matter.
Outside Canada, I’ve been blessed with two brilliant editors who worked seamlessly with Anne to help me create a far better book. My profound thanks extend to Jon Butler at Macmillan Publishers in London and Helen Atsma at Grand Central Publishing in New York for their insight, guidance and enthusiasm.
There is incredible trust involved in letting another person tell your story, especially one with such tragic and devastating personal consequences. Erik Vogel bestowed that trust upon me, and breathed life into this book the day he invited me to our first meeting at his home in the fall of 2003. He has since remained an honest and generous steward. My thanks go to Erik for his belief, patience and Herculean efforts to respond to my incessant inquiries and stay with me on this extraordinarily long journey. I am similarly thankful to Scott Deschamps, the other living survivor of this story, for trusting me to tread the tender and very personal territory of his remarkable life, and to Heidi Petrak, who helped me keep the faith. My gratitude also goes to Paul Archambault’s siblings: Ken, Daniel and Angele, for sharing Paul’s unpublished manuscript and the details of his life; to Sue Wink for her unstinting honesty; and to his aunt Myrna Quesnel and friend Andrew McNeil, for responding to the tiny, obscure ads I placed in their local newspapers. Paul was always a hero to me, and I hope I have done justice to his noble spirit.
When it came to chronicling a life, none was more difficult than that of my father, Larry Shaben. I knew him in the loving but limited way that an adoring daughter knows a dad. Delving into the messy emotional terrain of his years of struggle was both terrifying and gratifying: terrifying because I didn’t know what I would find or how it might change my memory of him; gratifying because it allowed me to discover in my father a man of exceptional character who I never fully appreciated while he was alive. For helping me complete the picture, love and gratitude are due to my siblings, Larry, James and Joan, and to my sister Linda for also being my muse, escape hatch and personal chef when I was far too close to the edge.
To my mother, Alma, I owe immeasurably more than love and gratitude: I owe who I am. You are grace and generosity personified, Mom, and your love has seen me through so much more than this book.
The family I was born to is not my only family. Love and thanks go to Sharon, Baha and Yasmeen Abu-Laban for their unwavering faith and devotion. Nor could I have written this book without the incredible support of my community of friends, particularly the moms and dads of Dunbar who helped care for my boys and cheer me along. Among them, I’d particularly like to acknowledge Sue Climie for many inspiring talks and walks; Stacey Shaw for being an irrepressible friend and fan; Liz O’Malley for her non-stop encouragement and 6:00 a.m. smile as I sat bleary-eyed and exhausted on a spin bike; and Annette O’Shea, for dragging me from my desk for pho and joining me in the soul-restoring therapy of putting our hands in the earth.
Writing can be a lonely pursuit and I am indebted to those who have shared the journey with me over the past decade, in particular my dear friend Cori Howard and my writing group, The Lyin’ Bastards: Nancy Lee, John Vigna, Denise Ryan, Dina Del Bucchia, Keri Korteling, Judy McFarlane and Sally Breen. Thanks for holding me up and pushing me forward and, of course, for the finely observed critiques, cheap wine and good eats. I also wish to thank the extraordinarily wise and wonderful Andreas Schroeder, and the many other talented writers and professors in the University of British Columbia’s Creative Writing Program who gave me my start. In addition, acknowledgement is due to the incomparable Geoff Le Boutillier for first igniting a small flame that would grow to a roaring fire.
Along the complex and difficult road of researching and reconstructing the events of a decades-old crash and its aftermath, I owe thanks to a plethora of people including Rosemary Richards, librarian extraordinaire at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada; Captain Lisa Evong, chief of the air staff, Air Force Public Affairs, Department of National Defence Canada; Diane Sweet, CBC Edmonton’s senior media librarian; Jean-François Coulombe, senior analyst at the Library and Archives Canada; Debra Dittrick, library assistant at the Edmonton Journal; and Diana Rinne, news and assignment editor for Grande Prairie’s Daily Herald Tribune. From my hometown of High Prairie, I am indebted to Luella Wood for sharing her sharp recollections and meticulously documented personal papers, and Kevin Cox and Charlie Goutier of Cox Contracting Ltd., for helping to clarify and recreate details of the overland rescue route.
For the opportunity to fly, and their trust in letting me take the controls of their small plane, I give my heartfelt thanks to Lisa Shemko and David Speirs, pilots, friends and fellow Fastlane swim club compatriots. Particular appreciation goes to Dave for his impeccable attention to detail in reviewing and editing the technical aviation sections of the book.
I owe to-the-moon-and-back love to my son, Max, who let me disappear into my office for hours, even days on end, allowed me to miss countless school field trips and soccer and hockey games, and weathered the emotional rollercoaster of this project with such maturity and strength. Max, you inspire me every day. In you, I see the wisdom, character and generosity of your grandfather and know that the best part of him lives on in you.
Finally, to my husband, Riyad: words can’t begin to express my gratitude. This book exists because of your faith, editorial acumen, Sherpa-esque endurance, patience and love. Thank you for being my partner in crime and all things of the heart.
C.N.S.
Vancouver, Canada
July 6, 2012
CAROL SHABEN was nominated for three National Magazine Awards, including Best New Magazine Writer, and won two of them, a Gold Medal for Investigative Reporting and a Silver Medal for Politics and Public Interest. A former international trade consultant and CBC writer/broadcaster, Shaben was twenty-two, living and working as a journalist in the Middle East, when the crash occurred. She learned of the event, and her father’s survival, reading a local newspaper.
