Schaumburg Live Work & Play

crash OF united airlines Flight 232 Schaumburg resident and the only member of the 11person flight crew who died in the crash. “She was this bright young girl, fresh-faced honor student,” Miller said. “I don’t know why she lost her life. I don’t have the answer.” One answer for Miller is to try to make a positive difference in other people’s lives every day. The crash, he says, reinforced his faith in God. When you grab your ankles at 30,000 feet, he likes to say, you realize what’s important and what’s not. “When you’re coming out of the sky, you think, ‘What do I have that’s going to do me any good?’ and I had my faith,” he said. “Most people don’t have an opportunity to have their faith validated like that. Maybe at this age, if it hadn’t happened, I’d believe just because I believe. But I believe now, because of that assurance I felt at that moment, regardless if I lived or not.” Miller’s public speeches emphasize the importance of positive thinking and letting go of old wounds. Unlike many of the survivors, he never sued the airlines. And he boarded another flight the night of the crash, making it back to Chicago in time to deliver his grandfather’s eulogy. If he allowed the crash to ground him, he figured, he might lose his job, which required frequent travel, so he resolved not to let the crash traumatize him. He knows there are survivors who have frequent flashbacks, some who can barely leave their homes. He understands their reaction, but chooses to use the crash as motivation. The crash, Miller believes, gave him the courage to quit his corporate job and start his own sign company, Divine Signs in Schaumburg, a reference to the crash. It made him more loving and more forgiving. “You become what you think about,” Miller said. “If you think the crash is going to ruin your life, it will. If you believe you can move forward through things, you can forgive and heal.” TIMELINE July 19,1989 2:09 p.m. 3:16 p.m. 3:20 p.m. 3:27 p.m. 3:29 p.m. United Airlines Flight 232 leaves Denver Crew hears an explosion, followed by vibrations and shuddering Crew requests emergency assistance and vectors to nearest airport Crew informs United’s maintenance facility of loss of all hydraulic systems Off-duty airman Denny Fitch joins cockpit crew • 3:35 p.m. Jeff Miller, 47, is the owner of Divine Signs and Graphics, a full service sign and digital graphics shop in Schaumburg. Miller and his family live in Schaumburg. He is chairman of the Schaumburg Business Association, a member of the Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates Rotary Club, and a member of Roosevelt University’s Community Advisory Board. Captain instructs second officer to start dumping fuel photo by bob chwedyk/schaumburg magazine 3:42 p.m. 3:48 p.m. Second officer inspects the plane, reporting damage to the tail Landing gear extended 3:59 p.m. 4 p.m. Passengers told to brace for landing Flight 232 crashes Source: National Transportation Safety Board report Page 24 schaumburg live • work • play

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Schaumber Live Work & Play Contents Hidden Treasures Slice of Life Handling Work Life Featured Business Surviving United Flight 232 Succulent Flavors Out & About Around Town Hot Spot! Dining Out

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