40 Years Later...
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On February 15, 1961, Sabena Flight 548, travelling from New York to Brussels, crashed in Berg-Kampenhout, Belgium, claiming the lives of all 72 passengers on board. Included was the entire 18 members of the 1961 U.S. World Figure Skating Team plus 16 of their friends, family and coaches en route to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
In addition to the 72 victims onboard, a young farmer was killed while working in the field of the crash site. The ceremony featured the unveiling of a 5-feet-high stone monument at the intersection of two narrow streets in Berg-Kampenhout - a small farming town located four miles northeast of Brussels.
Among those at the dedication were Mr. Jean Meeus, Mayor of Kampenhout; Mr. Jacques Waldeyer, Executive Vice President Flight Operations of Sabena; Mrs. Susan Keogh, Chair, U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund; and Mr. Michael McKinley, Charge d'Affaires a.i., Embassy of the United States, Brussels, Belgium.
On February 23, 1961, a memorial fund was established for the 18 U.S. athletes who lost their lives. The U.S. Figure Skating Executive Committee decided that the type of memorial fund that they wanted was one that would be more than a monument, a sort of "living memorial" that would give something back to the skating community.
More than forty years later, the Memorial Fund continues to provide qualified U.S. Figure Skating skaters who are in need of financial aid with monetary assistance to pursue their goals both inside and outside the competitive arena. The fund is committed to awarding skating and academic scholarships to those athletes who have demonstrated excellent competitive results and/or academic achievements, and who have future potential in national and international competition.
Photo Gallery of Crash Memorial
"Remembering Flight 548 - The Tragic Story of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team" (Part I)
By Bob Duffy, Boston Globe - Dec. 29, 2000
"Remembering Flight 548 - Shattered Dreams" (Part II)
By Bob Duffy, Boston Globe - Dec. 29, 2000
"Remembering Flight 548 - Pushed to the Rink" (Part III)
By John Powers, Boston Globe - Dec. 30, 2000
"Remembering Flight 548 - Twists of Fate" (Part IV)
By Bob Duffy, Boston Globe - Dec. 31, 2000
