Veterans, teachers, a fifth-grader: The 114 who died in Kansas City Hyatt disaster

On July 17, 1981, during a Friday night “tea dance” at the year-old Hyatt Regency, skywalks in the spacious lobby pulled from their moorings and collapsed, crushing the people below. All told, 114 were killed and more than 200 injured.

Fatalities included military veterans, teachers, lawyers, homemakers, secretaries, business owners — and one child, a fifth-grader who played sports and the guitar.

Connie Alcala, 32, founded the all-women’s Mariachi Estrella Band at her Topeka church. They were scheduled to perform at the Hyatt later that evening. Four of the band members died.

John J. Alder, 74, of Fairway was senior partner in his law firm. His wife escaped injury.

Velma “Pat” Allen, 40, of Kansas City taught physical education at Palmer Junior High School in Independence.

Carol M. Andrews, 33, a Kansas City mother of two, was a receptionist.

Bonnie Tracy Wheeler Bartels, 39, and William F. Bartels III, 38, of Olathe were lifelong area residents. He was Spring Hill State Bank’s assistant vice president. She worked for Lang Laboratories Inc.

Robert G. Barton, 56, of Kansas City, North, was a Farmland Industries accountant.

Juanita P. Bedene, 60, of Overland Park taught at Santa Fe Trail Elementary School and enjoyed hiking, fishing and picking blackberries.

Robert C. Beneteau, 44, of Parkville, a Marine Corps veteran and avid golfer, was a Fuller Brush Co. vice president.

Calvin W. Berges, 57, and Florence S. Berges, 62, of Gladstone left behind two daughters. A World War II veteran, he worked in General Motors’ paint department. She was a Farmland Industries clerk.

John Bergman Jr., 30, of Shawnee was a lawyer. His mother, Pearl, also died.

Pearl L. Bergman, 58, of Lansing was a ward secretary for Munson Army Hospital at Fort Leavenworth.

Julia H. Boggess, 45, of Lenexa owned Courtney Jewelers in Mission and was past president of the Mission Mart Retailers Association.

J. Robert Bolton, 63, and Julia Slaughter Bolton, 52, of Chesterfield, Missouri, were vacationing. He was a bank vice president. She was a job guidance counselor for the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Henry O. Botnen, 51, of Overland Park was an AT&T supervisor, a Boy Scout consultant and a Korean War veteran. His injured wife survived.

Louis Bottenberg, 66, of Kansas City had retired from the Kansas City School District’s audiovisual department. He played the mandolin and taught music and dance. His wife survived.

Jacqueline S. Brooks, 24, was celebrating a new sales job with Hilton Hotels.

Delores Carmona, 35, of Topeka was a Mariachi Estrella Band member.

Cathy Jean Carver, 32, of Mission taught at Fairfax Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas. She died Aug. 19, 1981, after 33 days in a coma.

Theodore Cast, 72, of Holden, Missouri, was a World War II veteran who had retired from teaching high school industrial arts. His injured wife survived.

Gerald L. Coffey, 42, of Leavenworth took his youngest daughter, Pamela, 11, to the dance. Both died. He was a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and vice president of a Leavenworth title firm.

Pamela Coffey, 11, of Leavenworth, a fifth-grader at Xavier School, enjoyed Girl Scouts, sports and playing the guitar.

James S. “Sam” Cottingham, 46, of Kansas City, a former Independence city attorney, helped found that city’s Queen City Baseball League.

James E. Daugherty, 56, and Barbara L. Daugherty, 52, of Merriam were tea dance regulars. He was a General Services Administration mechanical engineer, a former Merriam civil defense director and a World War II veteran. She was a hospital volunteer. They had six children.

Judith M. Davis, 38, of Parkville was a teacher’s aide and volunteer at Union Chapel Elementary School. Her husband survived.

Richard V. DeKruyff, 56, of Kansas City was Southeast Junior High School’s vice principal, a World War II veteran and a big-band fan. His wife stayed home to babysit grandchildren.

Christine J. DePriest, 22, of Kearney was a University of Missouri-Kansas City law student.

Calvin Detrick Jr., 66, of Merriam was a World War II veteran and president of a company that made rubber rollers for the printing industry.

Clifton Dial, 80, lived 25 years in Kansas City before moving to Portland, Oregon. A retired insurance salesman, he played saxophone, clarinet and violin in Shriners orchestras.

John T. “Jeff” Dixon, 64, of Warrensburg was a decorated World War II Navy pilot who became a paraplegic after a 1955 Olathe plane crash. The Hyatt’s final victim, he died Dec. 1, 1981.

Lois Lorene Jenkins Duncan, 62, of rural Excelsior Springs was a championship ballroom dancer who taught dance for decades.

Jeff Durham, 25, was a real estate agent and part-time Westport bartender.

Louis M. Farris, 42, of St. Joseph was a firefighter who had won dance contests in his hometown.

Carolyn Fiene, 48, of Gladstone was a TWA accountant who enjoyed square dancing.

Delores Galvan, 26, of Topeka was a Mariachi Estrella Band member and a civil engineering draftsman for the state of Kansas.

E.O. Gerster, 63, of Overland Park was a dentist who died two months after the collapse.

John J. Glaser, 58, of Kansas City was a former teacher who worked in investing and insurance.

Laurette Glover, 53, and Ray Glover, 54, of Merriam had attended multiple tea dances. He worked in music therapy. She taught at Milburn Junior High in the Shawnee Mission district.

Richard M. Goss Jr., 42, of Overland Park was president of Dick Goss & Associates Inc., an automobile supply firm in Mission.

Roger Grigsby was a Denny’s Restaurant manager in Kansas City.

Oscar F. Grim, 61, of Kansas City, North, a self-employed industrial salesman, enjoyed big-band music, especially “Satin Doll.” He pushed his wife away as the skywalks fell. She survived.

Helen Jean Gruening, 47, and William Gruening Jr., 48, of Prairie Village were active in American Field Service. He was vice president of Central Forest Products. She was a sales representative for Scholastic Magazine Inc. They had three children.

Joseph Gubar, 56, of Kansas City, a World War II veteran, was a salesman for Broadway Supply Co. His injured wife survived.

Virginia E. Hackett, 66, of Kansas City, North, retired in 1980 as a bank controller.

Paul I. Hansen, 51, of Mission developed Johnson County real estate for 30 years. He was a Korean War veteran.

Mary Hazelbeck, 56, of Overland Park, worked for the Internal Revenue Service. Her husband survived.

Romelia “Romey” Henson, 29, and Thomas F. Henson, 46, of Independence liked long walks in the country. He was a Farmland Industries traffic analyst. They had a 2-year-old son, plus five children from his previous marriage.

Stephen Hershman, 59, of Overland Park was a Russian immigrant who lived 45 years in the Kansas City area.

Doris M. Hill, 56, and Forest D. Hill, 58, of Lenexa liked big-band music. She was a registered nurse. A World War II veteran, he was Shawnee Mission Medical Center’s assistant director of material management.

Richard L. Houltberg, 53, of Overland Park, a management consultant and sports enthusiast, canceled an evening tennis match and instead went to the dance with his fiancee. She survived.

Carl Huntsucker Jr., 44, and Sondra Campbell Huntsucker, 39, of Raytown enjoyed the outdoors. He was a salesman and a military veteran. She was a Bendix Corp. computer programmer.

Eugene Jeter, 48, and Karen Jeter, 37, had been married two weeks. Both worked for Federated Insurance Cos. He was assistant manager of claims. She was the marketing manager.

Ima Jean Johnson, 50, of Kansas City was a Blue Cross and Blue Shield claims examiner.

Robert S. Jonas, 58, of Overland Park was a product promotion manager, a Jewish religion teacher and a World War II veteran. His wife survived.

Elizabeth D. Kolega, 58, of St. Joseph was a salesclerk who went to the Hyatt “out of curiosity,” her son said.

Julia A. Lamar, 33, of Shawnee had just won an award for her telephone sales work at Hallmark Cards Inc.

Mary E. Lane, 57, of Merriam enjoyed dancing and comedic acting. She was a Sturgess Equipment Co. secretary.

William V. Longmoor, 56, of Overland Park, a great-nephew of William Volker, was a Research Medical Center trustee, World War II veteran and jazz enthusiast. His wife survived.

Thomas Mahvi, 54, of Lenexa, a native of Iran, was microbiology department chairman at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine.

Clara McClellan, 55, of Gladstone was a hospital nutrition assistant.

Charlotte McDowell, 37, of Kansas City left a St. Louis area teaching job to start a marketing business scheduling conventions, dances and parties.

Betty J. McLane, 57, and William L. McLane, 57, of Prairie Village were big-band fans. A World War II veteran, he was a life insurance underwriter. She was a church volunteer. They had four children.

Betty Louise Miller, 55, of St. Joseph, a steakhouse hostess, was enjoying her first Friday off in more than a year.

David J. Miller, 51, of Overland Park was a Southgate State Bank executive vice president. His injured wife survived.

Vernon D. Mitchell, 52, of Independence was co-owner of Plaza Hardware Inc., a Business Men’s Assurance Co. employee and a Korean War veteran. His injured wife survived.

Susan Moberg, 46, of Kansas City, Kansas, was a psychic reader who worked for the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City.

Sheryl Lynn Morgan, 33, of St. Joseph taught at William Jewell College.

Marjorie Ann Morris, 47, of Overland Park taught at Santa Fe Trail Elementary School in the Shawnee Mission district.

Nick Noble, 31, a foreign-car salesman, had lived in Kansas City five years.

Louise O’Connor, 62, and Neal O’Connor, 64, of Mission loved to dance. She had been a secretary. A World War II veteran, he had retired as Traders Bank’s head cashier and controller.

Leona Omer, 69, of Greeley, Colorado, was a widow who donated time to charities.

James M. Paolozzi, 39, of Kansas City directed network operations for Uninet Inc., a division of United Telecom Co. His wife survived.

Jerold M. Rau, 42, of Kansas City attended the dance with his wife and another couple, the Paolozzis. The men died; their wives survived. Rau was president of the Kansas City Dermatological Society.

Paul H. Rinehart, 46, of Overland Park was an automotive parts salesman for Dick Goss & Associates.

John M. Rodman, 78, of Kansas City was a retired automobile inspector for Fisher Body Co.

Ruby Mae Scanlon, 54, Overland Park was a Nettleton Home board member. Her husband survived.

Linda L. Scurlock, 36, of Topeka was a Mariachi Estrella Band member and a Santa Fe railroad claims processor.

Floyd Sholts, 69, and Violet Sholts, 62, of Kansas City, North, left one daughter. He was a retired postal clerk. She was a retired pharmacy technician.

William E. Sigler, 61, and Ruth T. Sigler, 57, of Kansas City, North, liked square dancing. He was a Kansas City Power & Light Co. technician. She was a North Kansas City School District food service worker. They had four children.

Helen A. Stark, 26, of Kansas City was an insurance underwriter for the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Co.

Edmund J. Stein III, 68, and Viola E. Stein, 65, of Overland Park. He sold advertising and was a World War II veteran. She sold Avon and enjoyed gardening. They had four children.

David Stover, 50, of Dubuque, Iowa, capped a two-week vacation with his wife by visiting Raymore friends. The friends died. Stover’s injured wife survived. He was a design engineer for John Deere & Co.

Kathryn Anne Sullivan, 45, of Blue Springs was a doctor’s receptionist attending her first tea dance.

Lucille M. Taylor, 69, of Kansas City was active in her church.

Anna F. Terry, 53, of Kansas City, Kansas, was a widow and a Visiting Nurses Association secretary. Her husband had been killed in 1979 by robbery suspects he was chasing.

Robert F. Torrey, 53, and Mary E. Torrey, 49, of Roeland Park were known for generosity. He was a sales manager for Sealright Co. and a Korean War veteran. She worked in Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co.’s accounting department. They had two daughters.

John H. Tvedten Sr., 50, of Kansas City was a Kansas City Fire Department battalion chief whose son, John, later died fighting a Kansas City fire.

Lynn Vander Heyden, 22, of Shawnee was a senior at Rockhurst College. She was headed for Skies, the rotating restaurant atop the Hyatt.

Karyn T. Walsh, 41, of Kansas City was a PBX operator for William Volker & Co.

Lawrence Watson, 37, and Suzanne Watson, 34, of Parkville enjoyed music and nostalgia. He was vice president of American Dish Service. They had four children.

Linda K. Wharton, 26, of Lake Quivira was a manager for Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Edward A. Whitney, 60, and Joyce B. Whitney, 49, of Raymore. He was general manager of the Cox Hide Co. in Belton, a Heart of America Soccer Association state commissioner and a World War II veteran. She worked part time for Cox Hide and volunteered at a hospital. They had two children.

Ferna M. Wicker, 52, of Overland Park enjoyed church volunteer work. Her uninjured husband survived.

Kathleen O. Wilber, 55, of Leawood grew up on a Kansas farm and enjoyed riding horses. Her husband survived.

James E. Williams Jr., 42, of Oak Grove was a Social Security Administration investigator and an Oak Grove volunteer firefighter.

Paul W. Winett, 38, of Shawnee, was treasurer of Paragon Products Inc., and a military veteran.

Rudolph E. Zatezalo, 60, of Kansas City was a Missouri Democratic political figure, World War II veteran and former bank vice president. His wife survived.

This list originally appeared in The Star in 2001 for the 20th anniversary of the Hyatt Regency disaster.