All 258 passengers and 13 crew members aboard American Airlines Flight 191 died when the DC-10 plane crashed on May 25, 1979, according to a National Transportation Safety Board accident report. Two men on the ground were also killed.
Those are the statistics, but we wanted to learn more about the people whose lives were lost that day. So we asked family members and friends to share their recollections. What follows below are their answers. For those whose families we haven’t yet heard from, we combed the Chicago Tribune and Newspapers.com archives for details.
A memorial to these victims was dedicated in 2011 at Lake Park in Des Plaines, less than 2 miles east of the crash site.
Have a story to add to this memorial? Please email krumore@chicagotribune.com.
James W. Adams III
TARZANA, CALIF.
From Casey Binstadt, daughter:
“He was traveling home from a business meeting in Chicago. It was his daughter’s 2nd birthday and he was flying standby. He left behind a wife, son and daughter, who remained in Los Angeles. While his presence was sorely missed, his personality always shone bright through his sister, Jodie Adams. Jodie, along with Jim’s brother, Tom, mother and father all lived in Springfield, Mo.”
Jeffrey Norman Adams
CERRITOS, CALIF.
From Alison Minet Adams, wife:
“Jeff and I met at Tufts University in 1969 and were married in 1971. We had 10 sweet years together … it wasn’t enough. He had been in Chicago on business and was flying home to Orange County.”
Richard Kellog Adams
Kathleen Adduci
HOMEWOOD
From Michael Adduci, brother:
“Kathy was supposed to get married and the date was set for June 2 of that year, but it was called off. To take her mind off the wedding, my mom talked her into going to Hawaii with two other friends. They were Gail DeCastro and Rhonda DeYoung, who also perished. We ended up in church on the 2nd of June for Kathy — for her funeral.
She was a sweet and beautiful sister who had many friends. She was studying to be a nurse at South Suburban College at the time of the accident and needed a break from school and the heartbreak of the wedding being called off. I remember she had just bought a new Pontiac Firebird and I went with her to sign the papers and bring it home. She was so proud of it.
The devastation of the accident affected my family way beyond 1979. My mom was in remission from breast cancer and three months after the accident her cancer came back and she passed away in 1981. My father was heartbroken over losing two loved ones and committed suicide in 1997.
What I didn’t realize until the (memorial’s) dedication was there were families there who lost up to five family members at once. Now, that’s devastation, isn’t it?”
Robert Ernest Aeschbacher
HAMPTON BEACH, N.H.
The 30-year-old Wisconsin native had been a flight officer for American Airlines, based in Boston, for more than a year. He received his flight training in the U.S. Air Force. Aeschbacher was a passenger aboard Flight 191, traveling to Los Angeles to visit friends over Memorial Day weekend.
The Al-Swailem family
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.
Parents Abdullah and Mona along with their children Basil, 8, and Ahamad, 3, all died aboard Flight 191.
Jessica A. Altman
WOODLAND, CALIF.
The 30-year-old service coordinator was one of seven employees of Pacific Telephone who had been attending classes in Lisle.
Colleen Anderson
Gary Ang
Ang was a senior auditor for the Times Mirror Co., then-publisher of the Los Angeles Times, who had just joined the company two weeks prior to the crash.
Edward Armenta
Ruth C. Armstrong
HAWTHORNE, CALIF.
After visiting friends and family in Michigan City, Ind., Armstrong took a limousine to O’Hare International Airport. She was among the 30 victims whose remains were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Robert ‘Bob’ Artz
SIMI VALLEY, CALIF.
Artz, who moved to Illinois in January 1979, was the executive director of the Illinois Association of Park Districts in Springfield. His wife still lived in Southern California and he was traveling back there for a surprise visit. Though he only lived in Illinois a short time, the Illinois Parks & Recreation Association’s lifetime achievement award is named in Artz’s honor.
Sherry Atkinson
SAN GABRIEL, CALIF.
From Richard Ring, her former boss:
“Sherry was not only a great employee at Abbott Diagnostic Division Reagent Product Line in South Pasadena, Calif., but a positive and wonderful lady. I can only say that it has been over 40 years since we lost her on Flight 191 but she will always be remembered in our hearts. She was returning from a training session at Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago with a co-employee Peter Moon who we also miss dearly.”
Ruth Baldini
LAWNDALE, CALIF.
George Barich
LOS ANGELES
The 44-year-old International House of Pancakes franchisee was the 229th victim to be identified by medical investigators. A wife and two sons survived him.
Robert Edward Baum
LOS ANGELES
The 40-year-old employee of aerospace firm Hamilton Standard was returning to Southern California from a meeting in Windsor Locks, Conn., with colleagues R. Norman Braine, Richard E. Lent and John Ondreck. He was among the 30 victims whose remains were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Jeanette Bean
HONOLULU
From Michael Bean, son:
“My mother and father had retired to Aiea on Oahu in Hawaii. My mother worked in the officer’s club on the Air Force base there. She had served in the Air Force during the Korean War. My parents loved Hawaii after being stationed there twice.
She was in Vermont to visit my family and myself, but I was not there at the time since I took a job as a roadie for the band Bad Company several weeks earlier.
We didn’t know she was on that flight because she was flying standby and got her seat at the last minute. We had no clue where she was when she didn’t arrive in Honolulu. I was 24 years old at the time.
Years later in Vermont, I became friends with a woman who also was in the rock business. I told her about my mother. To her horror, she told me that she was supposed to be on that flight but missed the connection. To this day, I believe my mother got her seat.”
Charles Becker
MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF.
Carroll D. Begley
IRVINE, CALIF.
The 53-year-old was vice president of Weiser Lock Co. in Los Angeles at the time of his death, though he formerly lived in Florida. Survivors include his wife, three daughters and three grandchildren.
Judith Bennett
CHICAGO
The psychotherapist and senior editor of Forum magazine, a journal of human relations headquartered in New York City, was heading to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles to speak about her upcoming book, “Sex Signs.” Following her death, several of her friends and colleagues got together to finish writing it for her. Bennett also founded and directed Life Crisis Counseling, a Chicago-based clinic.
Itzhak Bentov
WAYLAND, MASS.
The 55-year-old native of Czechoslovakia was a scientist and inventor. He had been hired by Boston’s major hospitals to create medical diagnostic equipment. At the time of his death, Bentov was traveling to California, where he had been set to present his ideas on science and mysticism to a group of Japanese scientists. He had written a book on these subjects titled, “Stalking the Wild Pendulum: The Mechanics of Consciousness.” He was survived by his wife and a daughter.
Jeff J. Bett Jr.
ENGLAND
The young man was en route to Los Angeles to visit friends after learning marketing techniques from Universal Instruments Corp., a manufacturer of computer components, in Binghampton, N.Y. He was scheduled to return to England to work in the company’s London sales office.
Stephen Blake
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.
Paul A. Blovin Sr.
Jim Bollinger
– Original Credit:
Bill and Corrinne Borchers
CHICAGO
From Kim Borchers Jockl, Melody Borchers Smith and Jim Borchers, children:
“Our parents boarded American Airlines Flight 191 headed to Hawaii for a much overdue honeymoon. My mom was better known as Nudy, a nickname her dad gave her as a baby. We miss them every day but are so happy they and all who were lost on Flight 191 will never be forgotten because of the beautiful memorial in Lake Park in Des Plaines.”
Edmund A. Bower
TUSTIN, CALIF.
The 50-year-old New York native had two daughters. He was an aeronautical engineer for Ford Aerospace in Newport Beach, Calif.
From Christine Marino, daughter:
“My father was born in the Bronx, N.Y. on May 29, 1928. He served in the United States Air Force in World War II as a flight engineer, and graduated with a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Cornell University. He moved to Southern California in 1956 and worked for Northrop, where my mother did also. They quickly fell in love, married and shared two daughters together.
As an aeronautical engineer, my father traveled for business with Ford every other week to Huntsville, Alabama. He was faithful to and always flew United Airlines nonstop, but United was on strike that week. He had never before flown as a passenger on American Airlines via Chicago O’Hare to LAX, yet had no other choice, especially on a busy Memorial Day weekend.
My father spent his life fulfilling his passion for aviation and engineering through his military service and career. As such, I believe he understood moments before the rest of the passengers on his flight what the impact of seeing the left engine separating was to be. I imagine him being calm then, just as he was on our first flight to the East Coast together. When turbulence began on our decent in to Newark, he saw my face turn green and knuckles white. He chuckled, put his hand over mine and said ‘Honey, don’t worry; everything will be okay.'”
Reginald N. Braine
LOS ANGELES
The 54-year-old manager for aerospace firm Hamilton Standard was returning to Southern California from a meeting in Windsor Locks, Conn., with colleagues Robert E. Baum, Richard E. Lent and John Ondreck.
Oran Bridges
LA HABRA, CALIF.
He was traveling back to Southern California after a business meeting in Benton Harbor, Mich.
Eugene F. Bugajski
ARCADIA, CALIF.
The 45-year-old Whiting, Ind., native had been in the Midwest on business. He was a financial and business consultant. A graduate of DePaul University and a World War II veteran, he was the youngest of seven children. Bugajski left for California following his parents’ death. He was survived by a wife and son.
Linda K. Bundens
POWAY, CALIF.
The former nurse became a flight attendant with American Airlines in 1972. She was working aboard Flight 191 and left behind a husband.
Paula M. Burns
CHULA VISTA, CALIF.
Born in England but based in San Diego, the 32-year-old wife and mother of three children joined American Airlines as a flight attendant in 1967. She was laid off, however, when she became pregnant and joined other flight attendants in a class-action suit that the women won. “They hired her back two months ago — this was her first month back flying,” said a waitress in a restaurant where Burns had worked while waiting to get back to the airlines. “Her first love was always the airlines. She was tickled to death to get back.”
From Kerry Burns, daughter:
“I was 4 when she died. I remember coming from, or being picked up from, daycare and walking into my house. My dad was sitting in a chair and said, ‘Kerry, I need to talk to you. Come sit on my lap.’
I looked up at him and remember him saying, ‘Your mom has gone to Heaven and is with God. I’m sorry sweetheart. But she is in a good place watching over you and your sister.’ How do you process that as a 4 year old?
My mom was amazing! She fought to get her job back at American Airlines after she had kids because the airlines wanted picture perfect flight attendants. She was kind and gentle. I always remember her drinking tea — the English in her.”
Terrence G. Cady
The wife and four children of the 53-year-old marketing staff services manager for the U.S. Gypsum Corp. found out about his death on the 10 p.m. news — one hour before American Airlines officially notified them Cady was on Flight 191.
Gerald Campbell
MOMENCE
Campbell and his book wholesaler Baker & Taylor Co. colleagues Ella Stromme and Martha Vickery, all of Momence, were heading to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles.
Bob Cannon
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA.
Carol Carlson
Dana Lynn Castronovo
UTICA, N.Y.
Sheila C. Charisse
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.
The daughter-in-law of dancer Cyd Charisse, she was returning to Southern California-based TRW System’s Communications Systems and Services headquarters with co-workers David Coughlin and Richard Watson.
Charles Cheng
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
After lecturing on community involvement in Wisconsin, the 42-year-old assistant professor in UCLA’s graduate education school was returning home to attend a reception honoring Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Paul Egly’s school desegregation monitoring committee. As a Michigan resident in the 1960s, Cheng coordinated participation in national movements led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy.
Ping Chun
CHICAGO
Earlier the same year, the 26-year-old left his graduate work at the Illinois Institute of Technology to take a job as a computer technologist. He was traveling from Illinois to California to interview with Hughes Aircraft Co. According to his father, Ping had polio as a young child and had to undergo several surgeries. “He was a very active boy,” he said in a 1979 interview. “Nothing kept him down.”
Stephen Wood Clark
From Tom Wood Clark, son:
“My father was 46 years old when Flight 191 went down in Chicago. He was a regional sales manager for Case-Hoyt Corp. color printers based in Rochester, N.Y. The company he represented printed magazines such as Bon Appetit, Architectural Digest and The New Yorker. He had been in New York and was on his way home for Memorial Day weekend.
He was married to Suzanne E. Barnes, whom he had met at Syracuse University, father of Michael, Tom and Julie. He was raised in Syracuse, N.Y., by Ray and Lois Clark along with his brother, Phil.
My father joined the U.S. Navy and became a pilot where he served in Hawaii. After completing his service, his family moved back to New York where he began he career with Case-Hoyt. After several years in sales, the opportunity to open a new sales territory in Los Angeles presented itself, which he saw as a way to relocate and cut back on his travel time.
It was in my father’s character to seek out adventure and opportunity. He was a wonderful dad. We lost him way too early. I have missed him and wondered what would have been for the last 40 years.”
Ira S. Cohen
CHICAGO
The 35-year-old Brookline, Mass., native was a member of the International Monetary Market of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He also held a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. Upon hearing the news her son had died in the crash, Cohen’s mother experienced heart attack symptoms and died. They had shared visitation and burial services.
Sara W. Collins
TONAWANDA, N.Y.
The 63-year-old was positively identified as a victim on June 8, 1979.
Dennis T. Connell
SOUTH BEND, IND.
The Regnery Gateway sales manager, who was traveling for business with Henry F. Regnery, moved to South Bend, Ind., to take the job just a few weeks prior to the crash.
John Luther Conner
From John Hout, nephew:
“He was the second youngest of nine children from a little town in West Virginia called Zeising, now it’s named Spelter. He lost two of three brothers who served and died in World War II. My mother, Norma Schofield (Conner), is the last of the kids alive. My grandmother buried seven of nine children. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. His surviving brother from World War II saw to it that he did not see any action, which did not make him happy. He was stationed in Hawaii then California. He was working for Capitol Records as a producer at the time of the crash.”
Bruce D. Corrigan
LONG BEACH, CALIF.
The 48-year-old was a communications technician for Pacific Telephone who had been attending classes in Lisle.
Anthony J. Costello
TORRANCE, CALIF.
He was one of seven employees of Pacific Telephone who had been attending classes in Lisle.
David J. Coughlin
REDONDO BEACH, CALIF.
The 15-year employee of TRW Electronic and Engineering Corp. in Los Angeles was returning to Southern California-based TRW System’s Communications Systems and Services headquarters with co-workers Sheila Charisse and Richard Watson. He was survived by five children.
Francis Lee Coulter Jr.
LOS ANGELES
The 48-year-old civil litigation partner with Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher was returning to Southern California from legal business. He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
John W. Craig
ADDISON
The 42-year-old truck driver had only been working at the Courtney-Velo Excavating Co. in Des Plaines, just north of O’Hare airport, for about a month at the time of the crash. He was killed when fuel and debris from the plane fell onto the truck he was driving at the company’s garage, causing it to catch fire. His body was found in the truck’s cab.
Freda Ora Crawford
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.VA.
She was on her way to El Toro, Calif., where she planned to live with relatives.
From Rebecca W. Wright, former student:
“We knew her as Ora Crawford. She was our Professor of Psychiatric Nursing at Morris Harvey College (now University of Charleston), in West Virginia. Of all the superb educators we had there, she was a huge favorite. Mrs. Crawford not only taught us the nursing care of the psychiatrically and emotionally troubled person, she nurtured us, her students, as well.
Nursing education is, and has always been, a very challenging process, during which the student is not only required to learn, adopt and practice skilled nursing observation and procedures, but also to develop the personal maturity and character that is required on a daily basis in the profession. It is not unusual for the aspiring registered nurse to seek counseling during college.
Ora Crawford was a magnificent example of all she taught us. Moreover, she was a talented teacher who deeply loved her specialty and those to whom she taught it. Although she was not young, she was a dynamic presence. Her lectures were exciting: she strode back and forth, gesticulating, her hands sweeping the air, her voice rising and falling with each point she was making. She owned that lecture hall in every session, holding us spellbound every moment of every class.
We always knew that Mrs. Crawford’s office door was open to us if we were having any kind of difficulty; whether it was related to our academic or personal lives, we had her ear. And she not only listened, but would offer us specific support or guidance. She ‘went to bat’ for us in faculty conferences, advocating for ‘her’ students. Moreover, she opened her home, entertaining us as though we were distinguished guests.
On that dreadful day at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, our beloved teacher was on her way to California to spend her retirement years near her daughter. Tragically, she was never to realize the joy she had anticipated.
We grieved for this lovely woman who had brought the practice of nursing into our hearts and minds.”
James Crossley
WESTMINSTER, CALIF.
Mario and Elena Crucioli
CHELSEA, MASS.
The owners of Marlena’s Sportswear in Boston were traveling to Beverly Hills, Calif. He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
From Robin Petrillo:
“My husband, John, was Aunt Lil’s nephew, his mother’s youngest sister. He was very close to his uncle and aunt (auntie’s name was Elena but no one called her anything but Lil). They were his godparents, too. Uncle Mario was like a father to him.
My husband and his sister, Betty, worked with auntie and uncle at Marlena and were with them five days a week and on weekends.
A little more about them, they were 54 years old and were the owners of Marlena Sportswear, Mar & Lena. They employed over 80 people.
They were traveling for a long overdue, relaxing vacation. They worked very hard and spent a lot of time with family.
We all were devastated. I happened to be 7 months pregnant with our first daugher. They missed 40 years of so many family things — including new family additions.”
Edwin David
CHICO, CALIF.
Marilyn H. Davis
Patricia C. Davis
LEICESTER, N.C.
The 30-year-old employee of Wachovia Bank and Trust Co. in Asheville, N.C., was traveling to Honolulu to visit a friend. She was active in her church choir and a member of the American Business Women’s Association. She was survived by her husband, her sister, Sandra C. Fore, nieces Karen S. Filip and Sabrina F. Miller, and multiple great nephews and nieces.
Joseph DeBerry
PORTLAND, CONN.
The Choice magazine employee was traveling to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles.
James T. DeHart
SAN DIEGO
Just two weeks shy of his 29th birthday, the American Airlines flight attendant left a just-typed letter on the desk in his room asking the airline to consider letting him work as a recruiter of flight attendants, spending his spare time convincing other young men and women to sign up for the job he liked so much.
John Deverrier
GLENDALE, CALIF.
Rhonda DeYoung
HOMEWOOD
The 18-year-old was traveling to Hawaii with friends Kathleen Adduci and Gail DiCastro. She was working part-time at an ice arena and a cleaners while studying business administration at Prairie State College. The three friends were scheduled to fly on United Airlines, but some of its employees were on strike so they were switched to this American Airlines flight.
Gail Susan Dhariwal
EAST LANSING, MICH.
The 28-year-old employee of Jocundry’s Book Store was traveling to the American Booksellers Association in Los Angeles with two colleagues. She was survived by a husband. She was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Gail S. DiCastro
CHICAGO HEIGHTS
The 19-year-old radiological aide at South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest was traveling to Hawaii with friends Kathleen Adduci and Rhonda DeYoung. The three friends were scheduled to fly on United Airlines, but some of its employees were on strike so they were switched to this American Airlines flight.
Don Dick
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF.
Patrick A. Dicredico
WESTMINSTER, CALIF.
James R. Dillard
HARVARD, ILL.
The Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, native was also an Air Force veteran. He began flying for American Airlines in 1966 and was the first officer on Flight 191.
Robert J. Dimiceli
WESTMINSTER, CALIF.
Darlene DiPietro
PARK RIDGE
The 22-year-old secretary was traveling to California to see friends.
Wilbur Dittmer
Lloyd Dixon
Jack Donahue
The 36-year-old director of personnel for sales and marketing for the Gallo winery in California was praised for being one of the company’s “most promising young executives” by Joseph E. Gallo, son of winery co-founder Ernest Gallo.
Donald Driscoll
KAILUA, HAWAII
The 16-year-old son of Marine Corps Maj. Steven Driscoll, who was then stationed at Kaneohe air station, was returning home for summer vacation from high school in Iowa. “I have three sons … now I have two. I’m a pilot myself and I understand aviation. They don’t plan accidents. It is unfortunate. My other sons were shocked (at the news),” Steven Driscoll told the Honolulu newspaper in 1979.
James W. Dudley
NORTHRIDGE, CALIF.
The 49-year-old worked for Beneficial Standard Life Insurance Co. in Los Angeles. He was survived by a wife and son.
Kathleen M. Dzwonkowski
UTICA, N.Y.
Cpl. Frederick G. Eaton
COBLESKILL, N.Y.
The Marine was returning to his station in Hawaii.
From Kelly Eaton, niece:
“He was the youngest son of Merlene Eaton, the matriarch of our Eaton family. He’s survived by his four older brothers — all former Marines — Earl, Lawrence, Charles and John and his two sisters, Martha and Susan. I’m one of his 10 nieces and nephews.
Fred was much loved and returning to active duty service in Japan. I was only a baby when he was lost so I can’t provide a lot of stories but I also want to keep his memory alive. He is someone I very much wished I had known in my life. My dad, Larry, is in possession of letters he wrote home the year before which truly show his lighthearted personality and humor.
I know it’s a difficult, painful memory for his siblings to remember him and they are not particularly vocal about it. He was just 22 years old and robbed of a full life that lay before him and our family was never the same.”
Amy Eisenberg
VENICE, CALIF.
She had been accepted to a doctoral program at UCLA and had been appointed to evaluate the Head Start program for Los Angeles County. At the time of her death, she was returning from a training program. A scholarship was established in her name to provide a grant in the field of day care supervision at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
The Rev. Edward Eugene Elliott
GARDEN GROVE, CALIF.
After meeting with family in Chicago and then ministers at a Pennsylvania Christian college, the longtime minister of Garden Grove Orthodox Baptist Church caught this earlier flight home to Southern California. “It was providential,” said a son-in-law at the time. “The Lord cleared up his business. There were no loose ends.” He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Carl Entener
MILWAUKEE
Terry Ernest
ANAHEIM HILLS, CALIF.
The 37-year-old chemical engineer for Union Oil Co. of California was a regular commuter aboard Flight 191, spending one week in Chicago and the next at home in Los Angeles with his wife and two young children.
From Steven Ernest, son:
“We were living the American Dream. Dad grew up in San Pedro, Calif., and excelled academically. He was a super genius. Everyone who knew him tells me he was the smartest person they’d ever met. He could explain the most complex mathematics and science simply to anyone who didn’t understand it or delve into the minutia of the complexities to anyone who did.
He went to Caltech where he met my mom. They dated while he got bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering then went to the University of Southern California for an MBA and PhD. When he graduated, they got married, bought a new car and a home in Orange County, Calif. He had an aspiring career with Union Oil. My sister arrived in 1969 and then me in 1971. During 1977, we moved to a brand new house in Anaheim Hills, Calif., put in a yard and a pool. The wonder years were magical, right up until they weren’t.
A friend of his at work (Al Percy) had a wife named Ro, who came to our house. I opened the front doot on a Friday afternoon and she was there crying. My mom came up behing me and Ro said, ‘We think Terry died.’ The next hours were filled with phone calls, denials and, ultimately, the pastors from our church came to the house.
During the 1990s, I met a girl in a bar who became my girlfriend for the summer. As we got to know each other, we figured out our dads were both on the plane together (her dad is Paul Trammel).”
Dr. Roy and Marian Eshenaur
POINT PLEASANT, PA.
The 72-year-old physician and his wife were en route to a medical convention in Tahiti.
Susan Falcone
Carol Ferntheil
CINCINNATI
The 51-year-old was director of product development for Standard Publishing Co. She was heading to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles.
William ‘Billy’ T. Files
DIAMOND BAR, CALIF.
The 36-year-old marketing specialist for Eastman Kodak Co. had been in Rochester, N.Y., and was returning home to visit his wife and their three children for Memorial Day weekend. He was planning to move his family to New York state in July.
Larry M. Fink
GLENCOE
The 25-year-old was survived by his wife.
Robert A. Fish
Sharon Fitzgerald
Richard J. Forstrom
GRANADA HILLS, CALIF.
The Granada Hills, Calif., biochemist was known for supporting the area’s “dump the dump” campaign to get rid of a local landfill. He had also devised a blood test that was named for him and perfected a new process in kidney dialysis.
Carmen L. Fowler
CARLSBAD, CALIF.
She was a 36-year-old flight attendant for American Airlines.
Walter L. Frasier
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF.
Joan Green Fuselier
LOS ANGELES
She was Los Angeles director of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and had been one of Los Angeles’ first black female police officers and a senior deputy probation officer for the Los Angeles County Probation Department. She had attended a workshop in New York and was traveling home to Southern California. Fuselier left behind a husband, daughter and son. She was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Kathleen Gallagher
Robert M. Gardner
SAN DIEGO
He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Francis R. Gemme
WINNETKA
From Ellen Gemme, daughter:
“My dad, a vice president at Children’s Press in Chicago, was on his way to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles that Memorial Day weekend. My mom was supposed to be on that flight, too — a last minute change in her law school schedule made her skip the trip. But she was listed as dead in the newspapers. For days after the crash, people called the house thinking both my parents were gone.
May 25, 1979, was a beautiful spring day — the kind of day when you know winter is really over and the long, lazy days of summer are just ahead. I got home from school and my mom and I started decorating for my eighth birthday party — a slumber party with eight friends — that I was having that night. My dad had left a long note for mom on the kitchen counter and whatever was in it made her laugh right out loud. That was the last time I ever heard my mom laugh in just that way.
A neighbor called and said there had been a big plane crash. The TV went on, the phone started ringing and, after a few hours, my mom got a call from my dad’s office confirming what she had feared — that my dad had been booked on Flight 191. It was just my mom, a neighbor and myself in the kitchen when she got the news. She was standing at the yellow phone attached to the wall. And when whomever was on the other end of the phone confirmed that my dad’s ticket said Flight 191 she fell onto her knees, hugging the phone and wailing.”
From Michael Gemme, son:
“My father’s parenting style was as eclectic as he was. He had grown up relatively poor; as a child he had wanted for a lot. One of thos things was sweets and the other was model trains.
We attended services regularly, but trips home from church always included a stop at the sweets’ shop. Christmases were a bounty of surprises, junk food and celebration.
Dad loved model trains and he and his brother would take us on long road trips in his station wagon to various train shows and conventions. We manned a table at these shows and I learned to barter and haggle.
Looking back as an adult, I think he was enjoying the money that an executive career provided and was using some of it to provide himself the fun stuff that had been financially out of reach when he was a child. He certainly provided a lot of fun to us.”
Clem Glass
LA CANADA, CALIF.
The 65-year-old mortgage banker and president of the W. Ross Campbell Co. was returning to Los Angeles after conducting business in Chicago. He was survived by a wife, a daughter and three grandchildren.
Craig Goetz
BUENA PARK, CALIF.
He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Mark Goldsmith
CHATSWORTH, CALIF.
Joseph L. Gonzalez Sr.
Lloyd E. Gray
Andrew D. Green
After his daughter reported him missing, the body of the 50-year-old Park Ridge resident was found inside a car at an Elk Grove Township auto shop. He had been on the ground at the time of the plane crash.
Alan and Judi Green
ROCHESTER, N.Y.
The parents of three boys, who were planning to open a bookstore, were traveling to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles.
Mike Green
Stephen Greene
WEST DOVER, VT.
The 64-year-old former foreign correspondent for the defunct New York Herald-Tribune went on to operate a publishing company bearing his name for more than two decades before becoming a freelance publisher in 1978. He had planned to attend the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles before traveling to San Francisco to see his daughter Stephanie. He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
F. Eugene Greenroyd
Kenneth Greger
SAN DIMAS, CALIF.
Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Griego
HACIENDA HEIGHTS, CALIF.
From Steven Balti, nephew:
“U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Griego was 22 years old. He was a dedicated military man who had enlisted in the Marines right after his high school graduation. He had been serving as an embassy guard for the United States and was returning home from the Congo. Raymond was on a standby flight from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles with a layover in Chicago. He was on his way home to surprise his family. He was a gently soul and was loved by everyone who knew him.”
From Cathy Griego, sister:
“I’ll never forget the day when the first news report came on TV reporting the crash in Chicago. My first thought was my brother Raymond, but I then realized he was on the other side of the world guarding an embassy. We had no idea he was on his way home.
He loved his country and served with honor. He loved his family and friends deeply. He was a very popular young man in his community.
I haven’t been able to make the trip to the memorial site. I have a real fear of flying and haven’t flown anywhere since my brother’s tragic accident.
The pain never goes away. It’s changed our family dynamics. Raymond was the joy and light in our home. I feel a real connection to the victims’ families and how they fell. It doesn’t get any better with time.
I want my brother to be remembered for the awesome young man that he was in his short, 22 years of life.”
William F. Guthrie
TOPANGA, CALIF.
Vicky Chen Haider
EVANSTON
The 34-year-old fiction editor for Playboy was married and the mother of one child. She was well-known in Chicago as a freelance writer but had also worked as an editor for the Field Museum, the American Medical Association and Rand McNally.
Paul Halopoff
LOS ANGELES
He was founder and chief executive officer of Holmes-Hally Industries and Halco Spring and Manufacturing Co. garage door hardware and springs manufacturing firms. He was survived by four sons.
Mattie Hammond
Robert Hampel
LAFAYETTE, CALIF.
Jong Bin Han
CHICAGO
The 26-year-old originally from Seoul, South Korea, was employed by IBM in Chicago.
Charles T. Harlin
ANAHEIM, CALIF.
The 33-year-old transmission supervisor for Pacific Telephone had been attending classes with six other colleagues in Lisle.
Anna Harrison
DESERT SHORES, CALIF.
She was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
George Hart
LOS ANGELES
The 61-year-old vice president of a subsidiary of TRW Systems was returning to Southern California to celebrate his son passing the bar exam.
Nigel Hawkins
LOS ANGELES
He was the manager of a Los Angeles branch of an Australian freight forwarding and customs agency company. Hawkins left Australia earlier in the year to take up this post.
Daniel R. Hayes
VAN NUYS, CALIF.
Samuel Henderson
SANTA ANA, CALIF.
Pete Herdman
Katherine Hiebert
SAN DIEGO
The 39-year-old was one of seven flight attendants working the flight.
Phillip Higginbotham
Edward Hill
LOS ALAMITOS, CALIF.
Donald E. Hoover
RIVERSIDE, CALIF.
Olin W. Hoskins
CHICAGO
He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Elaine Howell
HURRICANE, W.VA.
From Nancy Howell, daughter:
“My mother, Elaine E. Howell, was manager of a successful bookstore in Charleston, W.Va. Like many others on the flight, she was en route to the American Booksellers Association annual meeting in Los Angeles.
I learned of the plane crash on my car radio, on my way home that Friday evening. I had moved to Knoxville, Tenn., the previous August to attend graduate school at the University of Tennessee. The day of the crash, I received a letter she had mailed two days before leaving for Chicago, telling me details of her upcoming trip.
The ABA convention was always one of my mother’s favorite activities as she met authors, learned about new books and spent time with colleagues from across the country. She had helped establish the local city library when I was a child. She loved books and the bookstore business. Her small bookstore in Charleston brought in an amazing array of authors — including Julia Child, Pearl Buck and other well-known authors of the time. One of her specialty areas was keeping a diverse inventory of books by Appalachian authors, including her good friend Jesse Stuart.
When I was younger, mother began taking courses at a local college, working full time and attending school part time for many years. She finally completed her bachelor’s degree in 1974 — the very day I graduated college.
As my brother went to our local dentist to collect records and fly to Chicago to deliver them, we knew we would need to plan a memorial. Shortly before the designated memorial, a small comfort — her body had been identified and was being sent home in time for the service.
Elaine Howell was 55 when she died. She was survived by her two children, David and Nancy; a new grandson, David; and two brothers, Henry and Virgil. She was a lifelong resident of Hurricane, W.Va.”
Eichi Ing
HAWAII
The 52-year-old mechanic for Allied Machinery Corp. was returning home from two weeks of training in Milwaukee.
Stuart N. Janis
PALOS VERDES ESTATES, CALIF.
From Elizabeth Janis Perl and Christine Janis Kraynek, daughters:
“Born in Chicago, our dad moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was six years old. He grew up across from the old farmer’s market on Fairfax and as a young man sold maps to the stars’ homes and worked at the famous Tail o’ the Pup hot dog stand. He played football at Fairfax High School and loved the chocolate cake at the Woolworth’s lunch counter. A Russian history major at UCLA, he dropped out in his senior year to become the first Jewish salesman at Levi Strauss & Co. While based in San Francisco, he met and married our mom, who was 10 years his junior.
Our dad traveled extensively for his job in the garment industry. In addition to trips to Asia and South America, he was back in Chicago often and had an office in the Merchandise Mart. Even though he was frequently away from home, he was a great 1970s dad. He coach his daughter’s soccer team and participated in YMCA’s Indian Princesses with us. On “Take you kid to work” day, we would play with the typewriters and carbon paper in his office and join him for a lunch of steaks and Scotch (we would order Shirley Temples).
Most Saturdays he would come home from an early morning round of golf and we would work in the yard, clean the pool and watch UCLA football together. On Sundays, we would sit with him as he napped in front of the TV watching a Rams game. He had a great sense of humor and loved singing Christmas carols. But he could also be strict. He didn’t like it when we would argue and he strictly enforced the Chicago no ketchup on hot dogs policy.
We only went on one trip together as a family that didn’t involve driving to San Francisco for the holidays. In 1977, we met him in Hawaii when he was returning from a work trip to Asia. Learning to surf at Waikiki Beach and dancing the hula at the Polynesian Cultural Center are some of the best memories we have of our dad.
I was 10 years old and my sister was just 14 in 1979. That Memorial Day weekend my mom and I were camping with her family in northern California and my sister was going to Catalina Island with her Girl Scout troop. That Friday afternoon, Christine was home alone and found out about the crash when my dad’s boss called and was looking for him, hoping there had been a mixup It took the park ranger another day to locate my mom and me.
My dad wasn’t supposed to be on that flight — he was scheduled for a flight later that day but was able to get on Flight 191 at the last minute as a standby passenger. Back then, there was no real system for standby. His abbreviated name was scribbled at the bottom of a passenger manifest but it was misspelled. When the plane crashed there was confusion as to his identity and his name was listed in the public record incorrectly for years.
We miss you dad so much and are especially grateful to the kids at Decatur Classical School. Without their determination and perseverance, the memorial would not have been built. Together with our mom we attended the dedication ceremony in 2011 and, for the first time, met other families impacted by this tragedy. In addition to seeing his name spelled correctly on the memorial wall, we found a community of survivors. We all cried together that day as we remembered our loved ones.”
Ferdinand Jaworowski
Dr. Charles Alexander Johnstone
VERSAILLES, KY.
The 57-year-old veterinarian, who was a pioneer in thoroughbred identification and blood-typing methods, was flying to Washington state to examine yearlings at a sale. He was a native of Bakersfield, Calif., who had also worked as the examining veterinarian for the New York Racing Association. He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Hans Kahl
EISENSTADT, AUSTRIA
Inge Maria Kahl, Hans’ wife, filed the first lawsuit following the plane crash — a $15.75 million damage suit against American Airlines.
Marc Kamhi
MISSION VIEJO, CALIF.
From Lisa Byram, daughter:
“My father was born in Cairo to Egyptian-Jewish parents. They immigrated to Southern California in the 1960s. My father learned to speak English, became a U.S. citizen and graduated cum laude from UCLA.
At the time of the crash, he was working as a program analyst for Canon. He had been in Chicago on a business trip and was returning home to my mother and me.
I was only 14 months at the time of the crash so I cannot share any memories of my father or of the crash day itself. For me, it always just was. My father’s absence was not painful — it had just always been. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother telling me about the crash. A bedtime story with a tragic ending.”
Richard B. Keely
ORINDA, CALIF.
Howard F. Keeney
GRANADA HILLS, CALIF.
He was an engineer for Union Oil Co. of California.
Jerri Ann Koch
Thomas Koneski
LAGUNA HILLS, CALIF.
Priscilla Kostohryz
ROSELLE
She was traveling to California to see her husband, who had just taken a job there.
Bert Krell
HONOLULU
The 47-year-old merchandise manager for Regency Hyatt Gift Shops was returning to Hawaii after visiting his parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. He was survived by three children.
David and Deborah Jean Kuykendall
FAIR OAKS, CALIF.
The newly married couple had visited Vincennes, Ind., where Dr. Kuykendall had concluded contract negotiations to become the fourth radiologist at Good Samaritan Hospital there, and was returning to California to make arrangements to move to Indiana in July 1979. She was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
John Lakotas
WEST LAKE VILLAGE, CALIF.
The Eastman Kodak engineer had formerly lived in Greece.
Kenneth Lamb
PLACENTIA, CALIF.
The 61-year-old domestic marketing director for Industry, Calif.-based Stoody Co. had been on such a short trip — a brief sales meeting in Minneapolis — that he hadn’t left his itinerary with his family. He died with co-worker Albert Zvanut.
Stephen and Susan Lang
WOODSTOCK
The couple was traveling without their children to California to represent Barrington’s Countryside Books at the American Booksellers Association.
Margaret and Anthony LaVorgna
From Gabriel Gallardo, grandson:
“My grandfather, Anthony LaVorgna, was a retired merchant marine and had many jobs including bus driver, working for North American Aviation making parts for the Apollo space missile and commercial fisherman. My grandmother, Margaret LaVorgna, was a homemaker who took care of the house and family. They lived in Redondo Beach, Calif., most of their lives and came to Illinois for the birth of my brother, David, in Sterling, Ill., in April 1979.
The memories will always be so clear inside by head. There were so many adventures we shared while they visited with us. One was our trip to K-Mart to buy my parents a new, shiny, silver toaster. While there, they bought me a sad dog with a green bow tie coin bank. I remember my grandfather and I waking up in the morning and singing, ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ while waiting for the toast to pop up out of the new toaster. My grandmother and I would go out to the backyard and swing on our tree swing and play in my wooden sandbox. Although the memories were innocent and simple, they mean the world to you when you’re 3. A person never really knows what can happen tomorrow, so everyone should live life to the fullest. Hold the souvenir of memories inside your mind and heart forever.
On May 25, 1979, my grandparents packed up their things to head back home to California. Before they left, my grandfather gave me one of his bolos that he brought with him. It had a handpainted duck on it. We piled into the car and drove them to a small airport in Moline. The plan was that they were supposed to fly United Airlines out of Moline, but their itinerary was changed due to a strike at the time. They took a small plane from Moline to O’Hare where they then boarded Flight 191 to head back home. I remember my last memory saying goodbye from the metal mesh gate as they boarded the small plane.
I remember my mom saying that before they left, my grandmother made a statement that they were going to be on the news that night. She hated flying out of O’Hare because it was too busy and it was a holiday weekend. My parents received a call from my aunt when we arrived home that a plane in Chicago had crashed. We didn’t know the details at first, but later found out that my grandparents were on board. And just like that, they vanished from my life forever.”
Lorene K. Leiman
IRVINE, CALIF.
The 45-year-old computer program analyst with McDonnell Douglas Corp. in Los Angeles was returning home from a business trip.
Richard E. Lent
WOODLAND HILLS, CALIF.
The 44-year-old employee of aerospace firm Hamilton Standard was returning to Southern California from a meeting in Windsor Locks, Conn., with colleagues R. Norman Braine, Robert E. Baum and John Ondreck.
The Rev. Albert Leunens
HAWAII
The 61-year-old head of the Sacred Hearts Fathers and Brothers in Hawaii was returning from Chicago after attending anniversary festivities for the Catholic Theological Union, visiting young men studying for the priesthood and participating in a young man’s reception of the minor orders. Born in Belgium, Leunens had served as a priest for many parishes and was a chaplain for many organizations since the 1940s.
Dr. Shu-Ren Lin
PITTSFORD, N.Y.
From Margaretta Lin, daughter:
“Our father, Dr. Shu-Ren Lin was a devoted husband, father, son, and brother. Born in Taiwan in 1936, he came to the United States in 1964 on a medical internship program. We, his family, later joined him in 1969 after the vestiges of the Chinese Exclusion Act had been finally removed. Family was everything to my father who dedicated vacation time to taking us to different places in America to help us feel like we belonged in this country. He took us to important history sites like Washington DC monuments, to iconic natural sites, like New Hampshire’s White Mountain, and to fun places, like Disney World. Education had been our father’s pathway out of poverty in his home country of Taiwan and he inculcated in his children the value of working hard and doing well in school. When our father was killed, our mother, Yie-Chen Lin, was left alone to raise four children who were 15, 14, 9, and 1. Today, these four children, Jean, Margaretta, Carolyn, and Andrew, are loving, kind, and successful human beings because of our father and mother’s time and dedication to family.
Our father was also the center of his extended family and had sponsored the immigration of his mother, Yen-Yen Lin, and all five of his siblings and their families despite being a young doctor at the time. He worked to settle all of his extended family members in the United States, including helping them obtain economic security.
Our father was a great humanitarian and used his medical skills and research to help humankind. His professional career was characterized by hard work, dedication to learning, and the advancement of medicine and science. He was a devoted and enthusiastic teacher of the new generation of doctors and medical researchers and was working at the University of Rochester Medical School as an associate professor of radiology when he was killed. He was instrumental in the advancement of the field of cerebral neuroradiology and had published multiple articles and books about his research studies, including those funded by the National Institutes of Health. Our father was on his way to present at an international conference on cerebral blood flow and metabolism in Tokyo when he was killed.
Our father had overcome many barriers in his life from extreme poverty in Taiwan, diabetes at a young age, and racial discrimination in the United States. He was an avid tennis player, loved classical music and opera, and enjoyed spending time with friends. He was reaching a point in his life where he could begin to relax more and enjoy life.”
Walter H. Lux
TEMPE, ARIZ.
The captain of Flight 191, Lux was an Air Force veteran who was based at O’Hare. He was a native of Milwaukee who owned a summer home in Twin Lakes, Wis.
Henry and Virginia Magner
STICKNEY
Michelle Malacynski
AVERILL PARK, N.Y.
Doreen Malek
JOLIET
The 22-year-old was bound for a Hawaiian vacation with her friend, Debra Ann Moruzi.
Timothy J. Malone
GOLETA, CALIF.
The 17-year-old was a student at St. John’s School for the Deaf in St. Francis, Wis.
Jacques Manning
From Ken Gross, colleague:
“He was leaving Chicago after being in computer school. We worked for the Burroughs Corporation and I’m quite sure his home was in (California). I saw him leave the school with suitcase in hand. The tragic fact was that someone else was scheduled for the class he was in but was unable to attend so he was a sub in that class. I flew out of that same airport coming home that day.”
Joel Markus
LOS ANGELES
Laura Marquet
BRUSSELS
Jon D. May
STUDIO CITY, CALIF.
The 40-year-old audit manager for the Times Mirror Co., then publisher of the Los Angeles Times, was returning home to Los Angeles from a business trip to New York.
Gordon McAtee
Marjorie L. McCorkle
SAN JOSE, CALIF.
From Carolyn McCorkle Conklin, sister:
“My sister, Marjorie McCorkle, had just celebrated her 30th birthday one month before the crash. She was working on an assignment in Chicago on converting some medical records. Her assignment finished early and she was anxious to return to San Jose. She opted to go standby on a flight to Los Angeles because she thought she could get home sooner by getting an interstate flight back to San Jose.
She was one of the most unselfish people I will ever know. She always put other people’s needs before her own. In the last moments before American Airlines Flight 191 crashed she was probably trying to help other people and not thinking about her own safety.
Margie, as she was known, was my younger sister. She set goals for herself and worked diligently to accomplish those goals. Margie attended Kent State University and was there at the time of the Kent State tragedy. Of course, this was a time before cell phones and it was very hard trying to reach her to find out if she was okay. She got her degree and then took courses to become a medical technologist. While working at Cleveland Clinic she also volunteered her time at Cleveland Free Clinic.
After working for a few years at Cleveland Clinic, she went to Med Lab in Salt Lake City. She accepted the job on the condition that she would be taking vacation at Christmas because she always went home for Christmas. Family was very important to her. Then she went on to accept a job in San Jose at Spectra Medical Systems again with the same stipulation.
Margie became an aunt for the first time in August 1978 and couldn’t get to Virginia, where we lived, quickly enough. She was thrilled with her new role! Rather than shower her new nephew with gifts, she opted to give him a savings bond and intended to do so every year.
Though I miss my sister every day, I am so sorry that my boys — her nephews — never got to know their wonderful aunt.”
William McGinnis
MARINA DEL REY, CALIF.
Marvin Milner Jr.
CHICAGO
The 22-year-old was a computer programmer.
Myron Miyagawa
HONOLULU
The 34-year-old assistant regional manager of Aetna Life & Casualty had been in Hartford, Conn., for a week on business and was returning home.
Michael M. Mlsna, III
BELLEVILLE, MICH.
The 47-year-old was president of the Van Buren School Board and manager of library services for the Ann Arbor division of Xerox Corp. He was the father of five children.
Romeo “Romy” Mon
WEST COVINA, CALIF.
From Bob Workman, friend:
“Romy had just graduated from Bristol Laboratories Hospital Sales Training in Syracuse, N.Y., and was extremely well liked by everyone in the department. He was thrilled to be heading home to his lovely wife and newborn daughter in California, and after a heroic effort our administrative secretary was able to get him connecting reservations to Flight 191 in Chicago.”
John G. Moncrieff
From Kevin Moncrieff, son:
“My father, John Gillie Moncrieff (known as ‘Jack’ to everyone), was on Flight 191. He was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and joined the U.S. Air Force in the 1960s and became a U.S. citizen. He met my mother, Donna, and they married.
I was born in 1971, and was 7 at the time of the accident. I came home from school on that day and walked into a family room full of some of my mom’s friends and her. She told me there had been a horrible accident.
My father worked for Bell Telephone as an engineer and analyst. He was on the team that designed one of the first underground telephone systems in California. He flew to ORD in order to attend a week of training in Lisle. He had a degree in accounting and received his MBA about a year before he died. He was in the Air Force Reserve at the time of his death and specialized in working on cockpit avionics. He was also a drummer for the Cameron Pipe and Drum band and on the board of directors for a local credit union in his spare time.
My mother lives in Roseville, Calif., today and is 73.
I am 47 and live in Geneva. I decided to go to the University of North Dakota in the early 1990s and major in aeronautical studies and geography. Today, I am a Boeing 737 captain for United Airlines. I drive by the accident site every day on my way to (O’Hare) to go on my flying trips.
I married my college sweetheart, Kari, in 1993. We have two daughters who attend high school and college at this time.”
Peter (Soo Duck) Moon
FULLERTON, CALIF.
From Richard Ring, colleague:
“Peter Moon was an employee at Abbott Diagnostic Division in South Pasadena, Calif. I worked with Peter, he was our product engineer who helped transfer products from research to manufacturing. He was born in South Korea and was married with children. Both Peter and Sherry Atkinson attended an Abbott Laboratories that week and were released early. So, they got on Flight 191 to return to California, unfortunately for them. As both their funerals were on the same day, my wife Lorraine attended Peter’s funeral and I attended Sherry’s.”
Debra A. Moruzi
JOLIET
The 21-year-old was heading to Hawaii for a vacation with her friend, Doreen Malek. Moruzi’s boyfriend dropped them off at the airport.
Karl F. Muller
VALENCIA, CALIF.
William Corbett Muller
LOS ANGELES
Muller was a junior account executive for Young & Rubicam, an advertising agency.
From Jamie Martin, friend:
“Affectionately known as ‘Cory’ to all. Raised in Palos Verdes, California and attended Palos Verdes High School. He was a great surfer and spent many hours waxing his board. Active in high school, he helped with Special Olympics and even designed our senior float. He was an amazing artist. After attending USC, a year abroad and finishing his college education he settled in Los Angeles and got his first job in marketing at Young and Rubicam.
His first business trip was to Chicago, having successfully completed his meeting he decided to stand by on flight 191. He wasn’t even on the original manifest. He was just 23. He left behind his mother, father, younger brother Chris and older sister Cathy. He also left behind many friends.
I met Cory in sixth grade. In high school we started dating and continued through college. We broke up when he was abroad and had just started communicating again (before social media so actually by mail) right before he passed away.
He was my first love.
His sister, Cathy, and I reconnected at a high school reunion many years ago. We both live in the state of Washington and have become great friends. Sadly, she is the last survivor in the family.
We miss him each and every day.”
Willard and Julia Nary
SIERRA MADRE, CALIF.
The former Streator residents had been in Illinois visiting family for the three weeks prior to the crash. Gilbert Nary, brother of Willard, had dropped the couple off at the airport but didn’t learn of the tragedy until he had returned to his home in Aurora.
Yvonne Nasch
DOWNEY, CALIF.
She was a real estate broker, chairman of the California Association of Realtors’ Investment Division and a lecturer on investments. Nasch was also a member of the Downey Chamber of Commerce and Downey Board of Realtors. She was survived by her husband and two sons.
Jeffery Nordhaus
Don J. Novelli
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.
The 52-year-old was en route home early from a Xerox Corp. conference to surprise his wife, Patricia, shown beside him in this photo, for her birthday.
James O’Bannon
Margaret ‘Peggy’ O’Rourke
HANFORD, CALIF.
The civil engineering student at Fresno State University was traveling with her grandmother, Margaret Tyne.
Carol M. Ohm
HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIF.
Flight attendant, American Airlines Flight 191
Andrew Oliver
CHICAGO
The 25-year-old bond trader for the Harris Bank and Trust Co. in Chicago was en route to Honolulu to visit his father.
John R. Ondreck
TORRANCE, CALIF.
The 43-year-old employee of aerospace firm Hamilton Standard was returning to Southern California from a meeting in Windsor Locks, Conn., with colleagues R. Norman Braine, Robert E. Baum and Richard E. Lent.
Donald G. Optican
CHATSWORTH, CALIF.
Julie L. Ozminkowski
PERU, IND.
The 26-year-old was an airman first class who was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. She was heading back to the islands after spending a two-week leave with her husband in his hometown of Bunker Hill, Ind.
John E. Pillivant
CORONA, CALIF.
James Pint
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.
The 37-year-old Minnesota native was a traveling salesman for McGuinness & Associates, a small wholesaler of annuities, who had been on the road through Texas and Illinois for the week leading up to his boarding Flight 191. He had just purchased a vacation home and was coaching a soccer team for children. He was survived by a wife and two children.
William T. Pittenger
LOS ANGELES
Marcia E. Platt
EAST LANSING, MICH.
The 26-year-old assistant book buyer for Suits News Company was a graduate of East Lansing High School and Michigan State University, where she studied English. She was heading to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles. She was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Eileen M. Plesa
MOUNT PROSPECT
The 22-year-old was a secretary for Pitney-Bowes Leasing Co. She was survived by her parents and two brothers.
Rossmoyne Pohlson
ARCADIA, CALIF.
The 48-year-old engineering manager for Pacific Telephone had been attending classes in Lisle with six other Pacific employees.
Constance Polley
BROOKFIELD, WIS.
Linda M. Prince
CANYON LAKE, CALIF.
Flight attendant, American Airlines Flight 191
Henry F. Regnery Jr.
SOUTH BEND, IND.
The 35-year-old son of a prominent former Chicago publisher, Regnery was vice president of his family’s Regnery-Gateway Publishing Co., a conservative publisher in South Bend, Ind. The graduate of Northwestern University and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland had lived in northern New York state running a sheep farm before leaving that area to work with his father. He was survived by three children, Alexander, Jonathon and Anna.
Jack E. Reich
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The 53-year-old boarded the flight after swapping tickets with his Young & Rubicam advertising agency colleague, Warren Lollich, according to a company spokesperson. They had been in Chicago to attend a national meeting for franchisers of the International House of Pancakes. He was survived by a wife and four children.
Allen Riddle
WEST COVINA, CALIF.
Alfred Rider
John Robison
EAST LANSING, MICH.
The 40-year-old owner of Jocundry’s Books was formerly an English instructor at Michigan State University. Robison and two colleagues were traveling to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles. He opened the book shop 2 1/2 years prior to his death and was survived by a wife and son. He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Dean E. Rogers
LA CANADA, CALIF.
The 46-year-old vice president of security at Pacific Bank in La Canada, Calif., left behind a wife and a son.
From Robin Rogowski, great-niece:
“Dean Rogers, 46, was a son, brother, veteran, husband, father, college graduate, Kansas farm boy, vice president banker in California, loving uncle. Much loved.
I never met him but, from what my mom and aunts told me, he was a very good person. He had planned to pay for my mom’s college education before the plane crash.”
Geertruida Rothfusz
NETHERLANDS
She was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Robert Rothfusz
NETHERLANDS
He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Douglas Ruble
DEWITT TOWNSHIP, MICH.
The 29-year-old was chief book buyer for Suits News Company, where he had worked since graduating from high school in 1967. A Michigan State graduate, Ruble was heading to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles. He was survived by a wife and four children. He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Jack Russell
Edwin Salisbury
MALIBU, CALIF.
Paul, Zaida, Marjorie and Zaida Louise Schade
NAPERVILLE
From Ivelisse Rios-Lopez, niece:
“My aunt Zaida Schade, her husband Paul Schade and daughters Zaida Louisa and Marjorie were all passengers on that flight. I remember being 14 years old and getting the announcement that something terrible happened to my aunt and uncle. They were originally supposed to go by themselves but ended up bringing their two daughters at the last moment.
My aunt Zaida was born in Utuado, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 6, 1941, to parents Pedro Rios and Luisa Gonzalez. She was the youngest of six and the only baby girl of the family. She and her brothers were very close and had a loving bond with each other. She had married my Uncle Paul and moved up to Naperville and had their two lovely girls there.
Zaida and my cousins were always so fun loving and very caring. She always would worry about her older brothers and would make sure to visit her family in Puerto Rico whenever she could. Even though I can’t remember too much about my Uncle Paul, I do know that he was a kind man who very much loved his family and served in the U.S. Navy. I know that my father, who is the last living member of their siblings, misses her greatly and although he suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and (is) not able to remember, she will always be in his heart.”
Michael Schassburger
CORONADO, CALIF.
The 36-year-old flight attendant for American Airlines had been in the U.S. Coast Guard before joining the airline. He started out as a ticket agent in 1965. Schassburger also spent two years at the South Pole aboard an icebreaker, according to his father.
Wilhelmina Schots
NETHERLANDS
She was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Anne Piet Schots
CHICAGO
She was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Charles M. Schrader
TERRE HAUTE, IND.
The 15-year-old Terre Haute, Ind., resident was traveling to see his father in Palm Desert, Calif.
Richard Schuster
PASADENA, CALIF.
He was director of development for the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., and was in Chicago to obtain grants and scholarship funding for the school. He was survived by his wife.
Beatrice Schwartz
SKOKIE
Bernard Schwartz
SKOKIE
Vernon Sharpe
SAN MARINO, CALIF.
The 70-year-old manufacturer’s representative had been in Ohio on business after spending two days with his parents in Noblesville, Ind., in celebration of their 71st wedding anniversary. He left behind a wife and four children.
Lloyd and Ina Shatkin
BROOKLYN, N.Y.
From Chago (Santiago) Perez-Kolk, brother:
“Ina P. Shatkin, aged 26, was my sister. She operated the Open Door bookstore in Schenectady, N.Y. She was originally from Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Lloyd was 29 and worked as a buyer for Mayfair Incorporated, a retail home furnishings firm in Albany, N.Y. Both graduated from Union College in Schenectady.
They were traveling to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles and had planned to spend some time vacationing there afterward.”
Wayland Sheffield
FULLERTON, CALIF.
From Mike Sheffield, Becky Berkley, Patty Berkley and Jim Sheffield, children:
“Dad was on his way home from a meeting in Kentucky. He worked for Chevron. He wanted to stop and see his mother in Iowa but, at that time, United Airlines was on strike and he could not arrange a flight to see her.
He was 45 years old and married for 20 years to our mother, Ellie He. He was survived by four children: Mike, 20, a sophomore at the University of California at Riverside; Becky, 18, three weeks from graduating high school; Patty, 16, a junior; and Jim, 15, a sophomore.
He was loved by everyone who knew him. He was a faithful, loving husband; a father involved in each one of our lives and always available to help any friend, family member or neighbor in need.
Our mother died on May 11, 2018, and was buried at sea on the 39th anniversary of Dad’s death. We all knew she had waited patiently for 39 years to join Jesus and Dad in heaven. He would have been thrilled to have known his four in-laws, nine grandchildren (and three of their spouses) and his first great-grandchild.”
Mary (Tierney) Sheridan
CHICAGO
From Tom Sheridan, husband:
“Mary (Tierney) Sheridan was born in County Kildare, Ireland. She came to the United States on her own when she was 15. She had very little formal education and was self-educated. She had a great appreciation for literature and was an excellent writer and editor. She obtained a job at the New York Times and then worked in various book publishing companies. She started working for Playboy magazine, which was just beginning to expand into the international market. Her promotion to a director of international editions was the reason for moving to Chicago in 1974. She traveled the world helping to set up international editions of that magazine. She was very comfortable dealing with publishers in different countries. She was on Flight 191 as part of her job to network with foreign publishers at the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles.
She was a cancer survivor, had a wonderful sense of humor and always had a smile on her face. She had amazing self-confidence and could hold her own in any kind of company. She never lost her Irish accent, had a great interest in Irish politics, literature and music and loved to go back to enjoy the simple rural life that she grew up in. She was 37.”
Lawrence Marshall Silva
PALOS VERDES, CALIF.
He was survived by a wife, Norma, six children and two grandchildren.
Michael J. Silva
SAN GABRIEL, CALIF.
Sikes R. Simmons
LA MIRADA, CALIF.
He was survived by two sons.
Michael S. Sirota
UPLAND, CALIF.
The 44-year-old Glenview native was an executive for Bell & Howell Co. He was survived by a wife and two sons.
Michael Smith
HONOLULU
The 20-year-old Michigan native was stationed with the Marine Corps in Hawaii and was returning to duty after furlough.
Robert R. Spicuzza
PLAYA DEL REY, CALIF.
Following the crash, a friend, J. Frank of Fullerton, Calif., wrote a letter to the Los Angeles Times about him: “Bob Spicuzza never made a headline in any newspaper, but he was a big part of our lives, because of the very quality of individual he represented.”
He was survived by a wife and two children.
Salvatore Spina
LONG BEACH, CALIF.
Spina, who grew up in Grand Rapids, Mich., was an aerospace engineer for Rockwell International in Long Beach.
Margaret ‘Peggy’ Stacks
EAST LANSING, MICH.
The 26-year-old manager of Jocundry’s Books in East Lansing, Mich., was traveling with two colleagues to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles.
From David M. Stacks, brother:
“On the day of the crash I was attending class at Western Michigan University where I was enrolled in the flight technology program and flying to attain my private pilot’s license. I did achieve this, graduating in 1981 and joining the U.S. Navy as a pilot. I served eight total years in the Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. After leaving the military, I was hired by Northwest Airlines and flew the DC-10 there for seven years. I found the DC-10 to be a great jet to fly and thoroughly enjoyed my time. Needless to say, over my 40 years of aviation, the results of May 25, 1979, have always been close to my thoughts.
It was a very tragic loss of life. There were, thankfully, changes made in how all airlines monitor passenger lists and many, many more safety and maintenance-related improvements that benefit aviation safety to this day.”
Leonard Stogel
MALIBU, CALIF.
The parents of the Malibu, Calif.-based promoter of musical groups including the Cowsills and Sam the Sham also died on a flight to Los Angeles — 17 years earlier. “It’s unbelievable; lightning has struck twice,” his brother Stanley told the Los Angeles Times in 1979.
Jack Stone
ENCINO, CALIF.
From Jon Stone, son:
“Here’s a little bit about dad. He was, without a doubt, the center of our family both immediate and extended. He got immense pleasure hosting the many holiday, birthday and anniversary parties with my mom, June. Any reason to get family and friends together. What? You got a new hat? I’m taking everyone to Monty’s for dinner.
His 50th birthday was an epic event at the Encino (Calif.) house. The perfect host for all who attended. We were in the process of planning mom’s 50th birthday. I remember his excitement was so infectious we all got swept up in his love on this one.
Some of my earliest memories are of dad taking me and my brother Jeff to go see the cement trucks in Van Nuys, Calif., and then off to Toys R Us. We were about 3 and 4 years old. He was a coach of our little league teams and when not coaching he would be in the stands cheering everyone on — teammates and opponents alike. Kinda pissed me off about the opponents but he taught us about sportsmanship, compassion and live by the golden rule.
There was a day our neighbor showed me how to greet cars coming down our street by waving my middle finger at them. Well, dad came around the corner only to see me greeting him. Brakes screech, window opens and in the kindest, most gentle way he informed me that this is not a great idea and (the neighbor) is a moron.
I remember when he took me to a trade show for his business, Cameo World. Hundreds of competitors and customers stopped by to sit and schmooze and laugh with Jack.
My father and his dad flew from Los Angeles to New York City to go see the old neighborhood in Brooklyn. Papa was getting up there in age and this was a perfect time to do this. After their week in New York, dad put Papa on a flight back to Los Angeles and dad went to Chicago for a meeting his partner asked him to take for their new business venture, One Stop Posters. He got to Chicago only to find out the customer had to cancel the meeting.
Dad apparently started the standby procedure and landed on Flight 191. He was always passenger J. Stone until Kim Jockl’s class (at Decautur Classical School in Chicago) undertook the task of creating the memorial at Lake Park. He was finally passenger Jack Stone.
He had called the house to let us know he was taking an earlier flight home. I answered that call and had one last chance to say ‘Love you, Dad,’ before hanging up. About 30 minutes later, the news of the crash started coming in. American Airlines confirmed what we all knew about 2 a.m. on May 26, 1979.”
John Stone
Elanor (Ella) J. Stromme
MOMENCE
Stromme and her book wholesaler Baker & Taylor Co. colleagues Gerald Campbell and Martha Vickery, all of Momence, were heading to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles.
Nancy T. Sullivan
LA JOLLA, CALIF.
Flight attendant, American Airlines Flight 191
The Sutton family
WILMETTE
Stephen, a 38-year-old senior editor for Rand McNally’s adult nonfiction books, was taking his family, wife Carolyn, 38, and sons Colin, 9, and Christopher, 7, to California for Memorial Day weekend. First, he would attend the American Booksellers Association convention, then they would see his wife’s parents, who were also in California visiting her brother, and wrap up with a visit to Disneyland. The family left their dog, Charlie, in the care of neighbors. Stephen and Carolyn were among the 30 whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
William R. Swift
PLACENTIA, CALIF.
Michael A. Taylor
FOSTER CITY, CALIF.
Kerry Tims
CLAREMONT, CALIF.
The 19-year-old was a freshman business major at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Sally Jo Titterington
BONITA, CALIF.
The flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 191 was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Raul Trammel
Paul R. Trautmann
WHITTIER, CALIF.
The 57-year-old Wisconsin native was the group vice president of Carrier Corp.’s Diversified Products Group with responsibility for four divisions. He was traveling to California to visit Spectrol Electronics Corp. He was survived by a wife and two daughters.
Clark Turner
COSTA MESA, CALIF.
The 48-year-old, who was raised in Wausau, Wis., was returning to Los Angeles from a business trip to Chicago.
Margaret Tyne
OAK PARK
She was traveling with her granddaughter, 19-year-old Peggy O’Rourke, to California, where they planned to visit Tyne’s daughter. She was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Alfred F. Udovich
MELROSE PARK
He was the flight engineer on Flight 191. According to his son, Udovich had planned to retire to the Phoenix area in three years and was buying a home in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Craig Valladares
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
From Jim Valladares, brother:
“Craig was born Aug. 7, 1948, in New York. He was the middle child, I was the oldest and our sister, Elise, was the youngest. We grew up in New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Arlington Heights.
Some time after high school, Craig enlisted in the U.S. Navy and his induction was held at Wrigley Field during a Cubs game. After about a year, he volunteered for Vietnam and served as a helicopter door gunner. He flew combat support missions and during that time was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. After discharge, he worked for A & P Food Stores in different positions and was a buyer at the time of his death.
Craig was married and had a daugher, Michelle, whose family still lives in Arlington Heights.
He was traveling to California because our father, Jim Valladres Sr., had just retired and was moving to New Mexico from Fullerton, Calif., and he was going to help him with the move.
Dr. Rene Valle
CHILE
The 31-year-old was a physician in the South American country.
Margaret Valuch
Pieter Van Berkhoot
Dr. Robert W. Vaughan
Narda Vetor
MOUNT CLEMENS, MICH.
From Newana Cesarone, sister:
“Narda Contesti Vetor was headed to Los Angeles on May 25, 1979, for her girlfriend’s wedding, but, like everyone else on American Airlines Flight 191, never made it to her destination.
Narda was a daughter, wife, mother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, niece, cousin and friend. I listed each title because each person that fell under the individual categories truly believed they were special to her. She was the captain of the cheerleading squad at East Detroit High School, Mich. (now East Pointe), loved sports, a certified soccer referee and a resident of Clinton Township, Mich.
She encouraged her then-young boys to play soccer and baseball. She was always present in her three children’s lives.
Narda was becoming politically active in her community by working on her neighbor’s run for treasurer in Clinton Township. There was even talk of her running for the township board. We always wondered what she could have achieved had she lived beyond her 31 years. We will never know but we know it would have been something truly special just like her.
The Clinton Township recreation department named an award after her that summer. As far as we know, it is still in existence.”
Martha J. Vickery
MOMENCE
“Our mom perished on Flight 191. She was a beloved wife, mother of four children, daughter, sister, aunt, friend and colleague. She was loved by everyone she met and could warm your heart with her beautiful smile. Our mom was loving, smart, clever, compassionate, creative, loyal, innovative and one of a kind. She was the heart and soul of our family and she is deeply missed.”
Carl Vincent
CANOGA PARK, CALIF.
Doyle Walker
LOS ANGELES
Rebecca Washburn
LONG BEACH, CALIF.
The 35-year-old Texas native was a graduate of Texas Tech. She was returning to her California home after a business trip in New Jersey at the time of her death.
Richard A. Watson
He was returning to Southern California-based TRW System’s Communications Systems and Services headquarters with co-workers Sheila Charisse and David Coughlin.
Sheldon and Judith Wax
CHICAGO
Sheldon, 51, was Playboy vice president who joined the staff in 1960 and was named managing editor in 1972. Earlier, he edited a series of automotive magazines.
Judith, 47, was the author of “Starting in the Middle,” a series of honest essays about the rigors of reaching and coping with middle age. According to a Chicago Tribune story, Judith “didn’t start writing until after she turned 40, but her wryly humorous essays and hilarious mock-Chaucerian poertry quickly won a broad audience.” She and her husband were traveling to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles to promote her book.
The couple had two grown children.
Dr. John B. Wear Jr.
MADISON, WIS.
The professor of surgery at the University of Wisconsin Medical School had also been a volunteer aboard the hospital ship SS Hope. He was meeting his wife in Los Angeles.
Richard J. White
ANAHEIM, CALIF.
The 31-year-old communications technician for Pacific Telephone had been attending classes with six other employees in Lisle. He was among the 30 victims whose bodies were never identified. These victims’ names became known by a process of elimination and were buried side by side at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Theodore Whyland
WEST SAND LAKE, N.Y.
Ronald Willner
VAN NUYS, CALIF.
Dale Witthoft
AUSTRALIA
From Barbara Witthoft, wife:
“My husband, Dale Allan Witthoft, was one of the people who died on American Airlines Flight 191. He was 32 years old with a wife and two daughters, aged 15 months and 3 years old. His death has colored every aspect of our lives.
Dale grew up in Kankakee, attended Bradley University and then went to Houston to work as an engineer for Exxon. He was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. After returning from Vietnam, he continued to work for Exxon. We met through mutual friends, married and spent our first two years in Grand Isle, La. We then transferred to Australia. We lived there five years before his death in 1979. Our two daughters, Allison and Jennifer, were born in Sale, Victoria.
Each year we got to come home for a visit and it was during one of those visits that this tragedy happened. The girls and I would have been with Dale but we decided to stay at my parents’ home in Pennsylvania. On the way back to Australia, Dale had to change planes in Chicago and, unfortunately, they asked for volunteers to change to Flight 191 and Dale volunteered. The last image I have of him at the airport in Harrisburg, Pa., was 3-year-old Allison running after him saying, ‘One more hug, Daddy, one more hug.’
Dale was a wonderful husband and father. His children and our four grandsons missed having him in their lives: cheering them on in sports; helping with school; being proud of their accomplishments. But we have always believed that Dale has been an angel watching over us and, one day, we will all be together again!”
Walter Yamashiro
HONOLULU
The 44-year-old was director of Hawaii’s state Office of Consumer Protection. He had been in Albany, N.Y., attending a conference on consumer product safety and was returning home. He was survived by his wife and three children.
Richard Zepnick
VALENCIA, ILL.
James M. Zielinski
SAN FRANCISCO
The Indiana native had returned home to be in his sister’s wedding party and was traveling to Los Angeles to visit a friend before returning to San Francisco. Zielinski had studied to become a priest but later graduated with a degree in languages from Stonehill College in Massachusetts. At the time of his death he was employed as the French correspondent of the National Bank of France in San Francisco. He worked in money exchange and handled the bank’s correspondence with France.
From Mike Cullen, friend:
“Jim was a classmate at Holy Cross Seminary (high school) at the University of Notre Dame, class of 1967. Jim was the top student in our class and went by the nickname of Ziggy. By far, the most popular person in our class. His family was from South Bend, Ind. The last time I saw Jim was in 1968, when we ran into each other on campus at ND. Learned of Jim’s death at a reunion of former students a few years ago. A real jolt, as I was driving North on I-294 near the airport that afternoon and saw the smoke from the crash. He is missed.”
Diane and Jon Ziemba
WILMETTE
She and her 4-year-old son were traveling to California to go house hunting with her husband, who had been transferred there by his employer, Xerox.
Al Zvanut
WHITTIER, CALIF.
His son in California said he learned his father was killed from an aunt in St. Louis who heard the news on television. Zvanut died with his Industry, Calif.-based Stoody Co. colleague Kenneth Lamb.
Note: In putting together this memorial, the Tribune started with the list of victims from the Flight 191 Memorial in Des Plaines. We cross-referenced those names with a list from the Cook County medical examiner and newspaper archive searches. The medical examiner list included one person (Fred Zaworski) who was not on the Des Plaines memorial or mentioned in any news archives. Additionally, there were multiple spellings of many names. The Tribune tried to use the spelling that was believed to be most accurate. If you have any information you’d like to add to this memorial, please email krumore@chicagotribune.com.
Sources: Family members of victims of Flight 191, Chicago Tribune photo and story archives and reporting, Newspapers.com
