Margie Kay interviews Bill and Jacqueline Kousoulas, authors of Bridging the Tragedy: Silver Linings in the Mysterious Ohio River Valley. On December 15, 1967, trauma erupted in West Virginia - as the small river town of Point Pleasant had just experienced the deadliest bridge collapse in U.S. history. Early that evening, lives in the Ohio River Valley were forever altered, as the Silver Bridge connecting Point Pleasant to Kanauga, Ohio collapsed into the icy river below. 150 American Red Cross volunteers worked feverishly overnight to rescue people and debris from the frigid waters, while friends provided comfort to the weary and hopeful with missing friends and family members. Concerned others supplied food and fire to nourish and warm the workers. “Efforts to dredge the waters of the Ohio River were hampered by the murkiness of the winter’s waters, as well as the deep, persistent cold of the December air” (Bolte, 2010).

Before the bridge collapse, scores of area residents experienced a year-long barrage of paranormal phenomena. Reports of UFOs, lights in the sky, and Mothman plagued the area for thirteen months to the date, halting abruptly when the thirty-nine-year-old structure collapsed. During this period, witnesses discussed their experiences with police, Athens, Ohio Messenger correspondent Mary Hyre, and paranormal researchers John Keel and Gray Barker; each of whom has since published extensively about the topic. The anomalous activity and catastrophic bridge collapse each caused great emotional, physical, and psychological strain to the people of this otherwise idyllic Appalachian region.

In 2020, Phenomenology Research Professionals began developing a plan to conduct a scientific study about the after-effects of the Silver Bridge Disaster, the associated paranormal phenomena, and the good things that have come to pass in the region since the late 1960s. Having commuted to Point Pleasant regularly since 2016, we had already developed several relationships in the community. After a COVID-defiant 2020 trip, we constructed the outline of the present study, an investigation of the 1966-67 happenings to learn about the good outcomes that developed from the unexplained phenomena and the Silver Bridge Disaster.

Bill completed his doctorate in psychology in January of 2021, specializing in positive psychology, the science of “what goes right in life.” Most of his doctoral research is in the area of post-traumatic growth - the good outcomes that we gain by navigating our challenging life experiences. Later in 2021, we formed Phenomenology Research Professionals, a practice in which we focus on the correlations between paranormal experiences and post-traumatic growth. This discipline allows us to combine multiple interests into a passion for investigating the unknown, learning how people and communities grow from trauma, and helping others to understand that good things can and do come from traumatic events.

The mysterious Ohio River Valley, the Silver Bridge disaster, and Mothman combine all these passions.