As President Kennedy said in reaction to the tragedy, "Our country has
sustained a great loss of talent and grace which had brought pleasure to
people all over the world."
The best and brightest - a generation of this nation's top figure
skaters - were lost in this terrible tragedy. It is a day that will
never be forgotten in our sport.
But from this tragedy, a legacy was born. Within days of the crash,
U.S. Figure Skating established a Memorial Fund to be a living memorial
to the members of the 1961 U.S. World Figure Skating Team. The mission
of the Memorial Fund is to provide qualified U.S. Figure Skating members
in need of financial aid with monetary assistance through skating and
academic scholarships to pursue their goals both inside and outside the
competitive arena.
Today, we pay tribute to all who lost their lives in the crash of Sabena
Airlines Flight 548, including a talented group of individuals who
exemplified the principles of excellence and personal achievement that
we all cherish.
