Frank Edward Ray, nickname Ed, died age age 91 and is survived by his wife Odessa, his two sons, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Ed Ray, school bus driver, led 26 terrified school children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.
He was from a farm town in Central California who never saw himself as a hero, even after news of the Chowchilla kidnapping grabbed headlines and inspired a TV movie.∼age: 91 yrs
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/us/ed-ray-bus-driver-who-helped-save-kidnapped-children-dies-at-91.html?_r=1
._______
Ray, 91, helped
save abducted kids
Bus driver, 26 children held captive
By DENNIS HEVESl
The New York Times
Ed Ray, the California school bus driver who was hailed as a hero in 1976 for leading 26 children to safety after they were kidnapped and buried in a truck trailer, died Thursday at a nursing home in Chowchilla, Calif. He was 91.
His death was confirmed by his granddaughter Susan Ray
The mass kidnapping prompted headlines and television coverage across the U.S.
It was late In the afternoon on July 15, 1976, when three armed men stopped Ray's bus on a dusty road outside of Chowchilla, a farm town in central California and forced him and his passengers — 19 girls and seven boys ages five to 14 — into two vans. Within an hour after the children had failed to come home from a summer-school excursion an all-out search was underway. The school bus was found off the road and camouflaged with foliage.
By then, the kidnapper and their victims were well on their way toward Livermore, Calif., about 100 miles to the northwest. After midnight on July 16, at a rock quarry off a secluded road west of Livermore, Ray and the children were pushed into the partly buried trailer, that of a moving van.
The kidnappers, who intended to demand $5 million in ransom, had planned their crime carefully. The van's roof — at some points more than four feet below ground level — was equipped with battery-powered fans that sucked in fresh air. Toilet paper, mattresses, blankets, food, and water were inside.
Ray struggled to lift the children's spirits.
"There was a lot of crying and begging for mama" he told reporters. They kept hollering and saying 'Why did they do this to us?' I'd like to know too"
For nearly 16 hours they huddled together. Then, after hearing no noise outside, Ray and several of the bigger children began piling mattresses to see if they could reach a small trapdoor in the roof. They did, and after digging through a mound of dirt, one of them managed to squeeze out and find a night watchman at the quarry.
After the police arrived, Ray led the children out of the site. Later, under hypnosis, he was able to remember the licence plan of one of the kidnappers' vans.
Several days later, James Schoenfeld, his brother, Richard and Frederick Woods were arrested. They pleaded guilty to 27 : counts of kidnapping and were sentenced to life in prison.
Five weeks later, thousands lined the main street in Chowchilla to celebrate Ed Ray and Children's Day. By then, at the convention of the California School Employees Association In Sacramento, Gov. Jerry Brown had presented Ray the association's citation for outstanding community service, "particularly to 26 precious Chowchilla schoolchildren."
Frank Edward Ray was born in Le Grand, Calif on Feb. 26, 1921, one of eight children of Frank and Marie Ray. He moved to Chowchilla with his family and -graduated from Chowchilla High School in 1940. In the early - 1950s, Ray became a bus driver for the local school district .He retired in 1988
The Chronicle Herald
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Sunday, May 20, 2012, p. A-11
∼
Driver who was hero
in '76 bus kidnap dies
Ed Ray was 91
By Gosia Wozniacka
Associated Press
FRESNO -- The nation called Ed Ray a hero when he led a terrified group of children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their school bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.
But the unassuming bus driver from a dusty farm town in Central California never saw himself that way, even after news of the infamous Chowchilla kidnapping grabbed headlines and inspired a TV movie .
As for the children he saved, Ray became their lifelong friend until he died Thursday at 91 from complications of cirrhosis of the liver.
"I remember him making Ray me feel safe," said Jodi Medrano, who was 10 when three men hijacked the school bus and stashed the group in a hot , stuffy storage van buried in a rock quarry.
Inside the van, Medrano held a flashlight as the bus driver worked with older students to stack mattresses, force an opening and remove the dirt covering the van so they could escape. She never left Ray's side during the ordeal.
"I remember he actually got onto me because I swore "Medrano said. "Mr. Ray said, 'you knock that off.' I thought , whenever we get home I will be in so much trouble . That's when I knew I was goinghome, because he made me have that hope."
Medrano, who now runs a hair salon in Chowchilla, where the hijacking oc- curred, said she kept in touch with Ray throughout her life . Many of the other children went on to live in Chowchilla as adults and regularly visited the aging bus driver.
"Mr. Ray was a very quiet, strong, humble man. He has a very special place in my heart and I loved him very much," Medrano said, crying.
The dramatic ordeal and Ray's role in it left an indelible mark on Chowchilla, population 5,000, where Ray and most of the children lived.
Ray, who grew corn and alfalfa and raised dairy cows, never boasted about his role in the incident , his granddaughter Robyn Gomes said.
"The community will remember him as a hero, but it's not at all how he saw himself," she said. "He was a remarkable man. If you met him, youlovedhim. He was that kind of guy."
Ray is survivedby his wife Odessa, his two sons, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The Santa Maria Times
Santa Maria, California
Saturday, May 19, 2012, p. A-2
∼
Ed Ray, school bus driver, led 26 terrified school children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.
He was from a farm town in Central California who never saw himself as a hero, even after news of the Chowchilla kidnapping grabbed headlines and inspired a TV movie.∼age: 91 yrs
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/us/ed-ray-bus-driver-who-helped-save-kidnapped-children-dies-at-91.html?_r=1
._______
Ray, 91, helped
save abducted kids
Bus driver, 26 children held captive
By DENNIS HEVESl
The New York Times
Ed Ray, the California school bus driver who was hailed as a hero in 1976 for leading 26 children to safety after they were kidnapped and buried in a truck trailer, died Thursday at a nursing home in Chowchilla, Calif. He was 91.
His death was confirmed by his granddaughter Susan Ray
The mass kidnapping prompted headlines and television coverage across the U.S.
It was late In the afternoon on July 15, 1976, when three armed men stopped Ray's bus on a dusty road outside of Chowchilla, a farm town in central California and forced him and his passengers — 19 girls and seven boys ages five to 14 — into two vans. Within an hour after the children had failed to come home from a summer-school excursion an all-out search was underway. The school bus was found off the road and camouflaged with foliage.
By then, the kidnapper and their victims were well on their way toward Livermore, Calif., about 100 miles to the northwest. After midnight on July 16, at a rock quarry off a secluded road west of Livermore, Ray and the children were pushed into the partly buried trailer, that of a moving van.
The kidnappers, who intended to demand $5 million in ransom, had planned their crime carefully. The van's roof — at some points more than four feet below ground level — was equipped with battery-powered fans that sucked in fresh air. Toilet paper, mattresses, blankets, food, and water were inside.
Ray struggled to lift the children's spirits.
"There was a lot of crying and begging for mama" he told reporters. They kept hollering and saying 'Why did they do this to us?' I'd like to know too"
For nearly 16 hours they huddled together. Then, after hearing no noise outside, Ray and several of the bigger children began piling mattresses to see if they could reach a small trapdoor in the roof. They did, and after digging through a mound of dirt, one of them managed to squeeze out and find a night watchman at the quarry.
After the police arrived, Ray led the children out of the site. Later, under hypnosis, he was able to remember the licence plan of one of the kidnappers' vans.
Several days later, James Schoenfeld, his brother, Richard and Frederick Woods were arrested. They pleaded guilty to 27 : counts of kidnapping and were sentenced to life in prison.
Five weeks later, thousands lined the main street in Chowchilla to celebrate Ed Ray and Children's Day. By then, at the convention of the California School Employees Association In Sacramento, Gov. Jerry Brown had presented Ray the association's citation for outstanding community service, "particularly to 26 precious Chowchilla schoolchildren."
Frank Edward Ray was born in Le Grand, Calif on Feb. 26, 1921, one of eight children of Frank and Marie Ray. He moved to Chowchilla with his family and -graduated from Chowchilla High School in 1940. In the early - 1950s, Ray became a bus driver for the local school district .He retired in 1988
The Chronicle Herald
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Sunday, May 20, 2012, p. A-11
∼
Driver who was hero
in '76 bus kidnap dies
Ed Ray was 91
By Gosia Wozniacka
Associated Press
FRESNO -- The nation called Ed Ray a hero when he led a terrified group of children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their school bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.
But the unassuming bus driver from a dusty farm town in Central California never saw himself that way, even after news of the infamous Chowchilla kidnapping grabbed headlines and inspired a TV movie .
As for the children he saved, Ray became their lifelong friend until he died Thursday at 91 from complications of cirrhosis of the liver.
"I remember him making Ray me feel safe," said Jodi Medrano, who was 10 when three men hijacked the school bus and stashed the group in a hot , stuffy storage van buried in a rock quarry.
Inside the van, Medrano held a flashlight as the bus driver worked with older students to stack mattresses, force an opening and remove the dirt covering the van so they could escape. She never left Ray's side during the ordeal.
"I remember he actually got onto me because I swore "Medrano said. "Mr. Ray said, 'you knock that off.' I thought , whenever we get home I will be in so much trouble . That's when I knew I was goinghome, because he made me have that hope."
Medrano, who now runs a hair salon in Chowchilla, where the hijacking oc- curred, said she kept in touch with Ray throughout her life . Many of the other children went on to live in Chowchilla as adults and regularly visited the aging bus driver.
"Mr. Ray was a very quiet, strong, humble man. He has a very special place in my heart and I loved him very much," Medrano said, crying.
The dramatic ordeal and Ray's role in it left an indelible mark on Chowchilla, population 5,000, where Ray and most of the children lived.
Ray, who grew corn and alfalfa and raised dairy cows, never boasted about his role in the incident , his granddaughter Robyn Gomes said.
"The community will remember him as a hero, but it's not at all how he saw himself," she said. "He was a remarkable man. If you met him, youlovedhim. He was that kind of guy."
Ray is survivedby his wife Odessa, his two sons, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The Santa Maria Times
Santa Maria, California
Saturday, May 19, 2012, p. A-2
∼
Frank Edward Ray, nickname Ed, died age age 91 and is survived by his wife Odessa, his two sons, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Ed Ray, school bus driver, led 26 terrified school children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.
He was from a farm town in Central California who never saw himself as a hero, even after news of the Chowchilla kidnapping grabbed headlines and inspired a TV movie.∼age: 91 yrs
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/us/ed-ray-bus-driver-who-helped-save-kidnapped-children-dies-at-91.html?_r=1
._______
Ray, 91, helped
save abducted kids
Bus driver, 26 children held captive
By DENNIS HEVESl
The New York Times
Ed Ray, the California school bus driver who was hailed as a hero in 1976 for leading 26 children to safety after they were kidnapped and buried in a truck trailer, died Thursday at a nursing home in Chowchilla, Calif. He was 91.
His death was confirmed by his granddaughter Susan Ray
The mass kidnapping prompted headlines and television coverage across the U.S.
It was late In the afternoon on July 15, 1976, when three armed men stopped Ray's bus on a dusty road outside of Chowchilla, a farm town in central California and forced him and his passengers — 19 girls and seven boys ages five to 14 — into two vans. Within an hour after the children had failed to come home from a summer-school excursion an all-out search was underway. The school bus was found off the road and camouflaged with foliage.
By then, the kidnapper and their victims were well on their way toward Livermore, Calif., about 100 miles to the northwest. After midnight on July 16, at a rock quarry off a secluded road west of Livermore, Ray and the children were pushed into the partly buried trailer, that of a moving van.
The kidnappers, who intended to demand $5 million in ransom, had planned their crime carefully. The van's roof — at some points more than four feet below ground level — was equipped with battery-powered fans that sucked in fresh air. Toilet paper, mattresses, blankets, food, and water were inside.
Ray struggled to lift the children's spirits.
"There was a lot of crying and begging for mama" he told reporters. They kept hollering and saying 'Why did they do this to us?' I'd like to know too"
For nearly 16 hours they huddled together. Then, after hearing no noise outside, Ray and several of the bigger children began piling mattresses to see if they could reach a small trapdoor in the roof. They did, and after digging through a mound of dirt, one of them managed to squeeze out and find a night watchman at the quarry.
After the police arrived, Ray led the children out of the site. Later, under hypnosis, he was able to remember the licence plan of one of the kidnappers' vans.
Several days later, James Schoenfeld, his brother, Richard and Frederick Woods were arrested. They pleaded guilty to 27 : counts of kidnapping and were sentenced to life in prison.
Five weeks later, thousands lined the main street in Chowchilla to celebrate Ed Ray and Children's Day. By then, at the convention of the California School Employees Association In Sacramento, Gov. Jerry Brown had presented Ray the association's citation for outstanding community service, "particularly to 26 precious Chowchilla schoolchildren."
Frank Edward Ray was born in Le Grand, Calif on Feb. 26, 1921, one of eight children of Frank and Marie Ray. He moved to Chowchilla with his family and -graduated from Chowchilla High School in 1940. In the early - 1950s, Ray became a bus driver for the local school district .He retired in 1988
The Chronicle Herald
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Sunday, May 20, 2012, p. A-11
∼
Driver who was hero
in '76 bus kidnap dies
Ed Ray was 91
By Gosia Wozniacka
Associated Press
FRESNO -- The nation called Ed Ray a hero when he led a terrified group of children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their school bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.
But the unassuming bus driver from a dusty farm town in Central California never saw himself that way, even after news of the infamous Chowchilla kidnapping grabbed headlines and inspired a TV movie .
As for the children he saved, Ray became their lifelong friend until he died Thursday at 91 from complications of cirrhosis of the liver.
"I remember him making Ray me feel safe," said Jodi Medrano, who was 10 when three men hijacked the school bus and stashed the group in a hot , stuffy storage van buried in a rock quarry.
Inside the van, Medrano held a flashlight as the bus driver worked with older students to stack mattresses, force an opening and remove the dirt covering the van so they could escape. She never left Ray's side during the ordeal.
"I remember he actually got onto me because I swore "Medrano said. "Mr. Ray said, 'you knock that off.' I thought , whenever we get home I will be in so much trouble . That's when I knew I was goinghome, because he made me have that hope."
Medrano, who now runs a hair salon in Chowchilla, where the hijacking oc- curred, said she kept in touch with Ray throughout her life . Many of the other children went on to live in Chowchilla as adults and regularly visited the aging bus driver.
"Mr. Ray was a very quiet, strong, humble man. He has a very special place in my heart and I loved him very much," Medrano said, crying.
The dramatic ordeal and Ray's role in it left an indelible mark on Chowchilla, population 5,000, where Ray and most of the children lived.
Ray, who grew corn and alfalfa and raised dairy cows, never boasted about his role in the incident , his granddaughter Robyn Gomes said.
"The community will remember him as a hero, but it's not at all how he saw himself," she said. "He was a remarkable man. If you met him, youlovedhim. He was that kind of guy."
Ray is survivedby his wife Odessa, his two sons, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The Santa Maria Times
Santa Maria, California
Saturday, May 19, 2012, p. A-2
∼
Ed Ray, school bus driver, led 26 terrified school children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.
He was from a farm town in Central California who never saw himself as a hero, even after news of the Chowchilla kidnapping grabbed headlines and inspired a TV movie.∼age: 91 yrs
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/us/ed-ray-bus-driver-who-helped-save-kidnapped-children-dies-at-91.html?_r=1
._______
Ray, 91, helped
save abducted kids
Bus driver, 26 children held captive
By DENNIS HEVESl
The New York Times
Ed Ray, the California school bus driver who was hailed as a hero in 1976 for leading 26 children to safety after they were kidnapped and buried in a truck trailer, died Thursday at a nursing home in Chowchilla, Calif. He was 91.
His death was confirmed by his granddaughter Susan Ray
The mass kidnapping prompted headlines and television coverage across the U.S.
It was late In the afternoon on July 15, 1976, when three armed men stopped Ray's bus on a dusty road outside of Chowchilla, a farm town in central California and forced him and his passengers — 19 girls and seven boys ages five to 14 — into two vans. Within an hour after the children had failed to come home from a summer-school excursion an all-out search was underway. The school bus was found off the road and camouflaged with foliage.
By then, the kidnapper and their victims were well on their way toward Livermore, Calif., about 100 miles to the northwest. After midnight on July 16, at a rock quarry off a secluded road west of Livermore, Ray and the children were pushed into the partly buried trailer, that of a moving van.
The kidnappers, who intended to demand $5 million in ransom, had planned their crime carefully. The van's roof — at some points more than four feet below ground level — was equipped with battery-powered fans that sucked in fresh air. Toilet paper, mattresses, blankets, food, and water were inside.
Ray struggled to lift the children's spirits.
"There was a lot of crying and begging for mama" he told reporters. They kept hollering and saying 'Why did they do this to us?' I'd like to know too"
For nearly 16 hours they huddled together. Then, after hearing no noise outside, Ray and several of the bigger children began piling mattresses to see if they could reach a small trapdoor in the roof. They did, and after digging through a mound of dirt, one of them managed to squeeze out and find a night watchman at the quarry.
After the police arrived, Ray led the children out of the site. Later, under hypnosis, he was able to remember the licence plan of one of the kidnappers' vans.
Several days later, James Schoenfeld, his brother, Richard and Frederick Woods were arrested. They pleaded guilty to 27 : counts of kidnapping and were sentenced to life in prison.
Five weeks later, thousands lined the main street in Chowchilla to celebrate Ed Ray and Children's Day. By then, at the convention of the California School Employees Association In Sacramento, Gov. Jerry Brown had presented Ray the association's citation for outstanding community service, "particularly to 26 precious Chowchilla schoolchildren."
Frank Edward Ray was born in Le Grand, Calif on Feb. 26, 1921, one of eight children of Frank and Marie Ray. He moved to Chowchilla with his family and -graduated from Chowchilla High School in 1940. In the early - 1950s, Ray became a bus driver for the local school district .He retired in 1988
The Chronicle Herald
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Sunday, May 20, 2012, p. A-11
∼
Driver who was hero
in '76 bus kidnap dies
Ed Ray was 91
By Gosia Wozniacka
Associated Press
FRESNO -- The nation called Ed Ray a hero when he led a terrified group of children to safety after they were kidnapped aboard their school bus and held underground for ransom in the summer of 1976.
But the unassuming bus driver from a dusty farm town in Central California never saw himself that way, even after news of the infamous Chowchilla kidnapping grabbed headlines and inspired a TV movie .
As for the children he saved, Ray became their lifelong friend until he died Thursday at 91 from complications of cirrhosis of the liver.
"I remember him making Ray me feel safe," said Jodi Medrano, who was 10 when three men hijacked the school bus and stashed the group in a hot , stuffy storage van buried in a rock quarry.
Inside the van, Medrano held a flashlight as the bus driver worked with older students to stack mattresses, force an opening and remove the dirt covering the van so they could escape. She never left Ray's side during the ordeal.
"I remember he actually got onto me because I swore "Medrano said. "Mr. Ray said, 'you knock that off.' I thought , whenever we get home I will be in so much trouble . That's when I knew I was goinghome, because he made me have that hope."
Medrano, who now runs a hair salon in Chowchilla, where the hijacking oc- curred, said she kept in touch with Ray throughout her life . Many of the other children went on to live in Chowchilla as adults and regularly visited the aging bus driver.
"Mr. Ray was a very quiet, strong, humble man. He has a very special place in my heart and I loved him very much," Medrano said, crying.
The dramatic ordeal and Ray's role in it left an indelible mark on Chowchilla, population 5,000, where Ray and most of the children lived.
Ray, who grew corn and alfalfa and raised dairy cows, never boasted about his role in the incident , his granddaughter Robyn Gomes said.
"The community will remember him as a hero, but it's not at all how he saw himself," she said. "He was a remarkable man. If you met him, youlovedhim. He was that kind of guy."
Ray is survivedby his wife Odessa, his two sons, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The Santa Maria Times
Santa Maria, California
Saturday, May 19, 2012, p. A-2
∼
