The monument was covered in a purple cloth held by three black ropes to represent the three who are buried at Oak Hill Cemetery: Marv Bates, Mark Kniese and Mark Kirkpatrick.
Vonderahe said her husband was a UE fan, and he sometimes helped provide "color commentary" for Marv Bates' radio broadcasts. She and King had two children together who were 6 and 8 when he died.
"It's just really great that they're honoring the first responders," she said. "I understand a lot of them have had a difficult time through the years, and it's really a great way to remember them. It's really a great tribute."
Keith Vonderahe remembers going to UE basketball practices with his dad.
"I don't think I would've been involved in or liked athletics or sports as much as I do if it weren't for him," he said.
He's happy to see a monument that also recognizes the first responders.
"A lot of us think about everyone who perished and the 29 stories that come from that, and it's easy to overlook the people who showed up and had to do their job," he said. "It's very moving to realize there's a lot more than just 29 stories; so to commemorate them is special."
Retired Evansville Police Department officer Guy Minnis recalled the events of that night and what it was like to be one of the first emergency workers to arrive at the crash site. Minnis said one of the hardest parts to recall was when they started to look for survivors.
"The bodies were still warm," he said. "We were checking the bodies into the morgue, and that's when it hit me. I then realized we were at a very sacred site. ... Twenty-nine souls had just left the bodies minutes before we arrived, and that just had an impact on us."
Around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 13, 1977, Curt Hart causally spoke to Watson for a preview of that evening's game to air on WGBF. Hart, who had only worked at the radio station 18 months, recalled working 36 hours that night, well into the next day and feeding information all over the world.
"It was just heartbreaking," he said. "Bobby Watson would always greet you with a smile. I knew Marv Bates very well. … I lost a lot of friends on that plane."
UE President Thomas Kazee thanked all emergency personnel, especially the first responders of that night 40 years ago.
"Perhaps those whose memories of this tragedy are most sharp, most enduring and most painful are those who first arrived on the scene," Kazee said. "Your courage and determination in dealing with an event of unimaginable horror and sadness are a testament to your strength and to your commitment to this community. We will forever be in your debt."
Mayor Lloyd Winnecke was a student at Central High School planning to attend UE. Winnecke said he didn't personally know anyone on the plane but felt the same heartbreak as the city.
"We're blessed as a city to have a world-class network of first responders," he said.