Memorial to 4 Local Football Players Killed in EHT Crash 50 Years Ago

Devan, like many girls from Egg Harbor Township, grew up learning to play softball at Childs Kirk Memorial Park in Egg Harbor Township.

Her dad was her coach for the first few years and would often drag Devan to practice early, before the other girls arrived, to hit her ground balls and pop flies.

I'm that dad, and Devan is my daughter. We spent a lot of fun times at that EHT park.

EHT Park named for four local Egg Harbor Township boys

Like many, I wondered what the name Childs Kirk Park meant. How did it get its name?

The park is located in the "Birdland" neighborhood of EHT.

I later learned that the park was dedicated to the memory of four local boys - all high school football players - who lost their lives in a car crash on the way to school one September day in 1975.

According to an article from the Asbury Park Press, the four boys were Ronald Kirk, 17, and three brothers: James Childs, 18, Michael Childs, 16, and Kenneth Childs, 14.

All played high school football.

All four died in a crash on Tilton Road near what was the airport circle in EHT.

The boys were headed to school at Absegami High School in Mays Landing.

(At that time, Absegami was a school that shared the building with Oakcrest High School. The schools were on a split-session schedule, with Oakcrest students attending in the morning and Absegami in the afternoon.  Absegami would later build its own school in Galloway. Egg Harbor Township school was not yet a reality.)

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Memorial planned

I've recently been contacted by Ellie (Foulk) Johns, who was Ronald (Ronnie) Kirk's girlfriend at the time of the crash. She says she's coming home to EHT from Missouri and is planning a special get-together with others who lost loved ones that day.

"I’m flying in from Missouri, and we are planning a 'hug and remember' - not just sad, but plan to share fond memories by their grave site.”

The event is planned for Tuesday, April 22nd, at 6pm at Laurel Cemetery in EHT.

There's a Facebook page dedicated to the boys' memory. It's a private group and can be found here.