| Notes |
- Niagara Gazette - 7/19/1961
Two golfers, taking shelter
under a tree at Hyde
Park Golf Course from a
severe electrical storm that
developed suddenly Tuesday
afternoon, were killed
when they were struck by
a bolt of lightning.
Dead are:
Donald G. Bird, 34, of 515
70th St.
Robert H. Taylor, 30, of 479
Town Line Road, Sanborn.
The two, b,oth representatives
of the Nationwide Life
Insurance Co., were playing
in the seventh fairway of the
golf course when the storm
hit shortly after 2 p.m.
Police said the pair, who
played f r e q u e n t l y at the
course, took shelter from rain
under a tree on the* south side
of the fairway about 50 yards
from the seventh green, and
near the west branch of Gill
Creek.
3 Youths Escape
It was reported that three
youths had been standing under
the same tree shortly before
the bolt hit. The names
of the three were not obtained.
Albert LePosa of 1041 101st
St., said he was leaving the
seventh green when he heard
lightning sizzle through the
air, followed by a giant thunderclap.
He said he wasn't aware
that two men had been struck
down until the three youths
came running to tell of the
tragedy.
Mr. LePosa and Dr. Duane
Johnson, 419 Walnut.Ave., a
physician for the N i a g a ra
Falls Police Department who
also was playing golf, rushed
to the scene and gave mouthto-
mouth resuscitation.
Bird Still Alive
Mr. LePosa said Mr. Bird
was still alive but fading fast,
when he arrived. Mr. Taylor
appeared dead; he said. Thomas
Rotella, a city fireman who
was playing in the fifth fairway,
also gave first aid after
rushing to the nearby home
of Mrs. Armand Castellani,
2595 Parkview Drive, to call
an ambulance.
The two golfers were pronouViced
dead on arrival at
Mt. St. Marys Hospital.
Steve Rokicki of 2233 Welch
Ave. said he was playing the
second hole when the storm
suddenly erupted from the
west.
"I took off for the club
house as fast as I could," said
Mr. Rokicki as he recalled
that the course was blistered
by a barrage of lightning
bolts. He said the rain came
down in sheets.
Frank Magliarditi of 2565
Parkview Drive said he went
to the scene when he saw
the ambulance arrive. Mr.
Magliarditi removed the golfers'
clubs to a nearby garage
pending the arrival of police.
Both in Ditch
Both men were found lying
near a ditch under the tree.
Their golf clubs were beside
them.
They were taken to the
hospital by the Niagara Ambulance
Service.
Ken Yount, professional at
the public course, said he was
not aware of the mishap until
a Parkview D r i v e resident
called to find out the identity
of the golfers.
"Lightning is nothing to fool
around with. Golfers have told
me of having close calls from
lightning d u r i n g the eight
years I have been hejee, but
this is the first time anybody
has been killed by it," said
Mr. Yount.
He said bolts of lightning
sprayed the c o u r s e "pretty
regularly."
The tree under which the
golfers stood showed little
sign of having tangled with a
holt of lightning. There were
a few pieces of bark scattered
below and a scorch mark on
one side of the tree.
Thomas J. DiFranco, director
of parks and recreation,
expressed r e g r e t over the
tragedy."It was one of those un-
fortunate things," said Mr. Di
Franco.
he said that to hisknowl-
edge no golfer had ever been
killed by lightning on the
course before, although two
golfers were badly shaken up
from an electrical charge
some three years ago.
Mr. DiFranco said taking
shelter under a tree during an
electrical storm is a dangerous
practice.
Bird was identified shortly
after he was struck down
from a wallet he carried. Police
did not learn Taylor's
identity until 5 p.m. They said
his wallet was in his street
clothes in the trunk of his
automobile.
Coroner F. Eugene Ingram
issued a certificate of acci-
dental death.
}\c said death was caused
by severe shock.
Investigating were Detective
Lt. William Murtaugh
and D e t e c t i v e s Gorman
Edwin Hanks.
Service! Set Friday
FunerBl services for tho two
men will be held Friday.
Mr. Bird is a native of this
city and saw service with the
U.S. Army in Germany from
1946 to 1P48. He was local
manager of the Nationwide Insurance
Co. and previously
was with the Prudential Insurance
Co. for nine years.
He was a member of the
Niagara Falls Junior Chamber
of Commerce and the Life
Underwriters Association.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Mary Lou Bird; three young
daughters, Laurfc J., Lynn A.
and Sandra L. Bird; his mother,
Mrs. Alice M. Bird, this
city; two brothers, Richard J,
Bird, this city, and Edward
Bird, Maywood, Calif.; and
two sisters, Mrs. Mary L.
Learn and Mrs. Joan Kralick,
this city.
Services will be held at the
Otto Redanz Funeral Home
at 8:30 a.m. Friday and at the
Prince of Peace Church at
9 a.m. with burial in Gate of
Heaven Cemetery.
Taylor From Falls
Mr. Taylor was born In Ni
agara Falls and attended Wil
son Central School and Bry-
ant Stratton Business Institute
in Buffalo. He was a veteran
of the Korean War,
serving from 1952 to 1954; was
a member of St. Andrews Lutheran
Church, Pekin, and
was treasurer of the Sanborn
Fire Company.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Cherie Taylor; two sons, Joel
Robert, 2, and Jon Scott, 1;
his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Hurk Taylor, Sanborn; two
brothers, Kenneth and Hurk
Taylor Jr., and three sisters,
Mrs. Joan Wilkesmore, Karen
and Nora Taylor, all of Sanborn.
Services will be held at the
Pike and Jones Funeral Home,
Sanborn, Friday at 2 p.m. and
at St. Andrew's Lutheran
Church, Pekin, at 2:30 p.m.
with Rev. Carl Goette officiating.
Interment will be in Aca-
cia Park Cemetery, North
Tonawanda.
The family said donations
to St. Andrew's Lutheran
Church in Pekin would be acceptable
as tributes.
|
1930 - 1961 (30 years)