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Posted on 10/02/2004 12:29:04 PM PDT by NotchJohnson
College fund for murdered hostage's daughter tops $75,000 Donations flood in after former Tega Cay resident's death
By Matt Garfield The Herald (Published October 2‚ 2004)
More than $75,000 has been donated to a trust fund for the 13-year-old daughter of Jack Hensley, the former Tega Cay resident who was taken hostage and killed in Iraq, the fund's organizers said Friday. A week ago, only $2,500 was in the fund set up to help Jack Hensley's daughter Sara. Donations have been pouring in since then, said Norm Ballmer, vice president of the Tega Cay Rescue Squad, which set up the trust fund.
"The word has gotten out," said Ballmer. "The country as a whole is very aware of what's transpiring. There's an awful lot of people who want to help. We would love to have it continue at that rate, but we don't know if it will."
The squad, where Hensley volunteered as a 19-year-old in the 1970s, started the fund after news broke of his execution in Iraq.
If enough money is raised to fully pay for Sara Hensley's college education, the surplus would go to Hensley's wife, Pati.
On Sept. 22, which would have been Hensley's 49th birthday, his family learned that he had been decapitated by Islamic extremists.
After struggling financially in Georgia, Hensley had accepted a yearlong construction job in Iraq to support his wife, Pati, and their daughter. He was working as a civil engineer for Gulf Supplies and Commercial Services, based in the United Arab Emirates, when he was taken hostage with two co-workers.
His American co-worker, Eugene Armstrong of Michigan, also was killed. The third worker, British hostage Kenneth Bigley, has been seen in a video released this week pleading for his life.
A candlelight vigil will be Sunday at 8 p.m. at the Tega Cay Beach Club and will feature local ministers, a singer and a color guard presentation.
A fund-raising event will take place during Tega Cay's annual Fall Festival on Oct. 30 at Turner Field on Tega Cay Drive.
Sara E. Hensley Trust c/o First Citizens Bank 2880 S.C. 160 West Fort Mill, SC 29708.
Very good to hear. I was proud to be a part of that.
"Very good to hear. I was proud to be a part of that"
Ditto
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