HIGHTOWER, CITY BANK WITH 4 OTHERS VIRGINIA AIR CRASH

Civic Leader's Daughter and Pioneer State Pilot Also Lost; Weather Blamed for Mishap

Wilbur Edward Hightower, president of the First National Bank and Trust Co., his daughter, and three other Oklahoma City residents were killed Friday when a private plane flying through sleet and fog crashed into Rich mountain four miles northwest of Elkins, West Virginia.

In addition to Hightower. the victims were:
        MRS. JOHN ROBY PENN III, his daughter, wife of an army lieutenant.
        ROY O. HUNT, famed speed and acrobatic flier.
        MRS. HUNT, daughter of Mrs. F. E. Haggard. 2709 W Park.
        GEORGE RUDDY, 4639 MacArthur boulevard, the co-pilot.

The group was flying to Washington where Mrs. Frank P. Johnson, mother-in-law of Hightower, died early Friday morning while visiting her grandson. Frank Johnson Hightower. who is in the diplomatic service. The junior Hightower is now the sole direct survivor in the dynasty founded by his grandfather and car-
ried on by his father.

The plane was borrowed from Leslie Pain, Oklahoma City oil man, and left the city at 6:10 am Friday, taking off from Will Rogers field. It was brought here from Houston by Hunt, Ruddy and Mrs. Hunt, and stopped only briefly to pick up Hightower and his daughter.

At Elkins, where rescuers brought bodies of the victims,  it was disclosed that the plane was short of fuel and trapped in a  heavy overcast. The plane crashed shortly after the municipal airport there heard the pilot asking for landing instructions. It was the third air tragedy in three weeks in that section of the Allegheny mountains.

Hightower, 51, was elected president of Oklahoma's largest financial institution on January 15 to fill the vacancy left by the death January 10 of Hugh M. Johnson.

The bank executive was one of the foremost business as well as civic leaders in Oklahoma City. His investments were extensive and these. with his position as active head of the state's biggest bank, put him in the forefront of the city's business life.

- Busy in Civic Affairs

Despite his business demands, however,  he devoted a great amount of time to civic matters of all kinds. He was in the lead in practically every development project of the last decade and had compiled a record of service which brought a veritable flood of expressions of dismay from public and private sources when word of his death spread over the city Friday afternoon. (See comment. Editorial page.)

Hightower's daughter [Phyllis Hightower Penn], 19,  was married Aug. 11, 1942. after graduating that spring from the Spence school, New York. She lived at Fort Riley. Kan.. then Brackettville. Texas. until recently when she was with her husband in Louisiana where he was on maneuvers.

Ruddy a Veteran

He and Mrs. Hunt were married Jan. 2. She also was a pilot having graduated in October from the Perry Command school. Sweetwater,  Texas. Born in Muskogee. May 31, 1913, she lived most. of her life in Oklahoma City and was graduated from Classen. They lived at 1736 NW 11.

Ruddy also was a veteran pilot. Born in Brooklyn Feb. 13. 1913, he has lived in Oklahoma City the past five years and has also been a pilot for the city oil company. He was married Dec. 24. 1941 to Miss Dorothy Eubank, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. V. P. Eubank, Tishomingo. He has one sister. Mrs. L. A. Pena. Miami. The city group borrowed the Fain plane after Hightower was unable to obtain passage by regular airlines. Mrs. Johnson. 69. widow of one of the founders of the city bank. died unexpectedly after she was stricken with influenza.

The plane was a Lockheed 12 and somewhat larger model of the Winnie Mae, Wiley Post's globe circling plane.

She went to Washington two weeks ago in order to be with her grandson who was scheduled to leave soon for India.

She became ill Monday, and the illness developed into pneumonia. She died about 2 am Friday.

Born at Kosciusko, Miss., Jan 29, 1875, she was married in 1894 to Frank P. Johnson then a newspaper publisher. They moved to Oklahoma City a year later. They had one daughter Ethelyn, who married Hightower. She died several years ago.

Hightower was born in Altus where his father, the late C. C. Hightower, was a banker and one of the founders of the town.

Young Bill began his banking career early, sweeping out his father's banking house and doing other menial chores. His fathers interest were varied, however, and the youngster spent much time working on ranches and in various stores owned by his father.

A copy of his death certificate can be seen at http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=hightower&id=I42952&style=TABLE

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