Wheaton College mourns plane crash victim
Wheaton College students, faculty and staff members are concluding their Thanksgiving break with tragic news about a fellow member of their liberal arts college community.
Ramie Harris, a 21-year-old junior psychology student, was killed Saturday when a plane crashed on its way from Marion, Ind., to Wheaton. Harris’ father, Ray Harris, was flying the plane. Her younger sister Shey and one other passenger were onboard.
“The death of a young person is always terribly tragic and we were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Ramie,” said LaTonya Taylor, director of media relations at Wheaton College.
Taylor said Harris was looking forward to helping others through her degree and would be greatly missed by all those who knew her.
Assistant Professor David Malone went on a spring break trip with Harris to Wichita, Kan., where she spent time at a juvenile psychiatric treatment center with a group of students learning about medical missions. Malone said Harris was both thoughtful and earnest.
“Like the other young women on this trip, she became well-acquainted with the needs of the hurting and broken, which helped form future career plans,” Malone said.
Students were notified via email of Harris’ death, Taylor said. Many were returning to campus Sunday from Thanksgiving vacation. Taylor said she expects Harris’ death to be discussed in chapel Monday.
Ray Harris was a prominent member of the Marion, Ind., community. He owned Ray Harris Chrysler Jeep in Marion and served on the small city’s board of works, overseeing the police, fire and utility departments, according to Jim McKinney, who knew Harris when he was the man’s principal in junior high and also connected with him as a pilot later in life.
“He was qualified to fly in visual flight conditions and he was quite proficient in doing that,” McKinney said.
McKinney also serves as the president of the board of aviation for the Indiana airport out of which Harris flew.
The plane went down about 10:30 a.m. Saturday west of Route 14 near Ridgefield Road in Crystal Lake. The single-engine Cirrus SR20 had a built-in parachute that is designed to bring the plane safely to the ground in case of mechanical problems, McKinney said. The parachute was deployed but did not stop the plane from crashing nose-first into an open field.
Harris was a member of the Marion Pilots Club, which McKinney ran for 40 years before leaving due to health reasons. The club was a nonprofit group of 10 individuals, including Harris for the last couple of years, with the express purpose of owning an airplane and flying it.
McKinney said the airplane was well maintained and flown regularly.
The National Transportation Safety Board could take up to a year to determine the cause of the accident. Investigators were on scene Saturday.
The names of the passengers have not been officially released. The Chicago Tribune identified the fourth victim as Chris Backus, 22, of Eau Claire, Wis., who was a friend of one of the daughters.