I didn't know Donna well, just remember a rather quite, soft spoken girl. I remember how shocked I was to have heard the news. It was a great tragedy to have died so young and so terribly. I think it was the first "wake up call" in my life to remind me that none of us are immortal. I've had many since then...
Thank you, Virginia, for filling in the details, I remember when this happened, just couldn't think of where and when...
I had the great experience to date Donna Kent for over 2 years during our junior and senior years at Rich East. She was a very special person and we shared a lot of great experiences over those two years. I remember her father's name was Herb and her mother's name was Virginia (Ginnie). Ginnie's family was from New Jersey (I was born in New Jersey and moved to Park Forest in April 1959).....and, she and Donna went to visit her family in New Jersey when my sister got married in Ridgewood, New Jersey in December 1966......and, they both came to the wedding. I spent significant time with Donna and her mother and father.....a really good family. She received her degree from the University of Colorado and went to work for Pan Am......with a seemingly great life ahead of her; and, then, to have died so tragically in that plane crash. We kept in touch casually during her first 2 years at Colorado and my first 2 years at Southern Illinois. She came down on the train to visit me over a weekend at SIU when she had a school break at Colorado and had come back to Park Forest to be with her parents......but we just lost track of each other after that as our lives went in different directions. I remember reading about the tragic crash as a general news item.....and, then reading that she had been a crew member on that particular flight. We all have great plans for our lives.....and then, sometimes there are things we simply can't control in our lives that happen.....and, life can end so quickly. She was really a great person.....and we all miss her a great deal. Rick Hawkins
I didn't know Donna well at all, and what I remember is that she was so cute, she reminded me of a bunny with a little nose. I remember that Pan Am crash. My mother's best friend was a trainer for Pam Am. How some people can spend a life flying all over the world until they're sick of it, and someone else snuffed out like a candle in a brand new career always struck me as unbearably irreconcilable. I also have thought about Donna and her too short life... as well as others who were killed in Viet Nam and other tragedies. We all should be hugging those we love, counting our blessings, and being as happy as we can be and as good as we can be since we still have choices. Bless them all, and their families.
Virginia Brady (Perschbacher)
Donna died in the April 22, 1974 crash of Pan Am flight 812 in Denpasar-Ngurah Rai, Bali, Indonesia.
She was a member of the cabin crew on that flight.
Susan Schaller (Scimeca)
I didn't know Donna well, just remember a rather quite, soft spoken girl. I remember how shocked I was to have heard the news. It was a great tragedy to have died so young and so terribly. I think it was the first "wake up call" in my life to remind me that none of us are immortal. I've had many since then...
Thank you, Virginia, for filling in the details, I remember when this happened, just couldn't think of where and when...
I found this link on the Internet...http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?ID=10298 40 years ago, seems like a eternity...Its nice to know they will be doing a Memorial there for all those who perished in the crash.
Richard Hawkins
I had the great experience to date Donna Kent for over 2 years during our junior and senior years at Rich East. She was a very special person and we shared a lot of great experiences over those two years. I remember her father's name was Herb and her mother's name was Virginia (Ginnie). Ginnie's family was from New Jersey (I was born in New Jersey and moved to Park Forest in April 1959).....and, she and Donna went to visit her family in New Jersey when my sister got married in Ridgewood, New Jersey in December 1966......and, they both came to the wedding. I spent significant time with Donna and her mother and father.....a really good family. She received her degree from the University of Colorado and went to work for Pan Am......with a seemingly great life ahead of her; and, then, to have died so tragically in that plane crash. We kept in touch casually during her first 2 years at Colorado and my first 2 years at Southern Illinois. She came down on the train to visit me over a weekend at SIU when she had a school break at Colorado and had come back to Park Forest to be with her parents......but we just lost track of each other after that as our lives went in different directions. I remember reading about the tragic crash as a general news item.....and, then reading that she had been a crew member on that particular flight. We all have great plans for our lives.....and then, sometimes there are things we simply can't control in our lives that happen.....and, life can end so quickly. She was really a great person.....and we all miss her a great deal. Rick Hawkins
Leslie Ann Aguillard ((spouse Is Ferenc Gyulafia))
I didn't know Donna well at all, and what I remember is that she was so cute, she reminded me of a bunny with a little nose. I remember that Pan Am crash. My mother's best friend was a trainer for Pam Am. How some people can spend a life flying all over the world until they're sick of it, and someone else snuffed out like a candle in a brand new career always struck me as unbearably irreconcilable. I also have thought about Donna and her too short life... as well as others who were killed in Viet Nam and other tragedies. We all should be hugging those we love, counting our blessings, and being as happy as we can be and as good as we can be since we still have choices. Bless them all, and their families.