The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 6

tEIje jVmttgtxm tar Page 6A Thursday, Dec. 12, 1991 It Fa la I crash of Bruno's jel investigated X'-l -1 ml 1 to aid its takeoff, and flight to Huntsville and should not have been troubled by fog. Bruno's, the Alabama-based corporation, has grown rapidly as an operator of traditional and large supermarkets and large food and drug stores. It has 241 locations, mainly in Alabama and Georgia. 1 and is also a partner with Mart Corp.

in three hypermarket stores opened since 1989. In addition to the five senior executives, the others who died in the crash were identified as Karl Mollica. produce director; Mary Faust, an advertising consultant; and the two pilots of the company plane. John Tesney and Rob Stamps. This story includes material compiled by Star Stall Writer Anne Rochell, the New York Times and the Associated Press.

Crash victims BIRMINGHAM Here are the names of the nine people killed Wednesday when a Bruno's Inc. jet crashed near Rome, Ga. The victims' identities were released by the grocery store chain: Angelo J. Bruno, Birmingham, chairman of Bruno's Lee J. Bruno, Birmingham, vice chairman Sam Vacarella, Birmingham, senior vice president of merchandise Edward C.

Hyde, Birmingham, vice president of store operations R. Randolph Paige Birmingham, vice president of personnel Karl Mollica, Birmingham, director of produce landfill sighted smoke on the mountain's slope and alerted local fire officials, who had been called in to search for the missing plane. They found it at about noon: Just six months ago. a small plane from Forida crashed on lavender Mountain, four miles from the site of Wednesday's crash. The vegetation is so thick that the wreckage and remains of the plane's two passengers two British tourists were not found for 10 days.

Investigators had little information on weather conditions that might have affected the plane's takeoff, but Ernie Conner, who fuels planes at the Russell airport, described conditions as "marginal" for visual flying, with a cloud ceiling of about 1.300 feet and some fog But. according to Sasser. the corporate plane was using instruments MIKIMOTO J3KLS2mSlitmi Mikimoto. Where Culture Began. Cultured pearl necklaces in varying sizes and lengths, all featuring Mikimoto's signature 18k gold clasp.

Necklaces 18 inch to 30 inch Earrings: 5mm 6mm 7mm 8mm 60 70 119 '199 ru.no From Page 1A vice president of personnel. He had worked in Annislon about 20 years ago for the local Super Valu grocery stores. Prickctt remembered. The rrash of the Bruno's Inc. jet in the hills of northwest Georgia on Wednesday devastated the top leadership of a multibillion-dollar supermarket chain that began 59 years ago as a corner grocery.

Among the nine Birmingham residents killed when the plane went down near Rome. were five top executives of the company, including chairman Angclo J. Bruno and vice chairman I.ee J. Bruno, who were brothers. "We are deeply saddened by this tragedy." said a statement issued by Ronald J.

Bruno, president and chief executive officer of Bruno's, and Joseph Bruno, chairman emeritus of the chain and another brother. Ronald Bruno is Angelo Bruno's son. Everyone on board the plane died. Other top Bruno's executives kilted were Sam Vacarclla. senior vice president of merchandise: Kdward C.

Hyde, vice president of store operations: and Page. Karl Mollica. director of produce, and Mary Faust, senior vice president of Bruno's advertising agency. Steiner-Bressler. died in the accident, as did pilots John Tesney and Rob Stamps.

Bruno's was founded in 1932 by Joseph Bruno, the son of Italian immigrants and the brother of Angelo Bruno. Joseph Bruno borrowed $600 from his family's savings to open a small, corner grocery in downtown Birmingham. Today, that investment has been parlayed into a network of stores with annual sales exceeding $2.6 billion. That does not include the related Big Drugs, which spun off from Bruno's in 1981. The company operates grocery stores under the names Bruno's.

Food World. Food Max and Food Fair. A financial consultant familiar with Bruno' said the company had a policy against Angelo and Ronald Bruno flying together on the same airplane, and that practice would help ensure the company's continued success. The family long has been one of Birmingham's biggest contributors to civic and educational projects, donating millions to university and community develop ments. "Many, many people in Alabama have been enriched by the great generosity of the Bruno family and by the strong support the family has given the community." said Gov.

Guy Hunt in a statement. "This is a tragic loss for all of Alabama "Their success in business was matched by their generosity to the community. They will be sorely missed." said Paul Garrison, executive vice president of Bruno's Corp. "We have to carry on despite our grief and we will. We have a responsibility to our customers, our employees, and our shareholders.

"Our mission now will be to regroup our forces under the leadership of Ronald Bruno, our president and chief exececutive officer, plus Glen Griffin and myself, the company's two executive vice presidents, and our chairman emeritus Joe Bruno. "All of our 22.000 employees will dedicate themselves to the task at hand uninterrupted service to the communities and the people we serve." He said that "our best testimony to our deceased is certainly to continue business as usual and serve the communities and take care of our employees." "The stockholders are going to be a little apprehensive for some time." said George Salem of Robinson-Humphrey. "I don't know if the company will ever recover from this because the Bruno family has meant so much for the city of Birmingham." The National Association of Securities Dealers temporarily halted trading on Bruno's stock at 12:42 p.m. CST as news of the crash spread. The stock went down 62 cents before trading stopped with the over-the-counter stock at 612.25 per share.

Bob McCraney. who trades Bruno's stock for J.C. Bradford and Co. in Nashville. said trading likely would resume on Thursday.

The Bruno's crash came slightly more than two years after the head of another Alabama grocery chain died in a plane accident. Fred F. Delchamps Jr. was killed in October 1989 when a World War U-vintage military plane crashed in Mobile County. He was chairman of Delchamps Inc.

It is not know if Delchamps or an aerobatic pilot, who also died in the crash, was flying the plane when it went down. Star Reporter Frederick Burger contributed to story. COUCH'S 15E.10diSL Downtown Autbton 237-9628 QulnUrd Mall Oxford 831-4628 jaWBLBRS From Staff and Wire Report! ROMK. (Ja Federal and local investigators returned to a remote area of Lavender Mountain this morning trying to piece together what caused a corporate jet to crash into the rugged terrain Wednesday killing all nine people aboard. A spokesman with the National Transportation and Safety Hoard said this morning that further details of the crash should be known tonight.

The nine bodies of those who died aboard the jet had been recovered and removed from the site by 8 p.m Wednesday, according to rescue workers. The jet crashed Wednesday morning just minutes after taking off from an airport in this north Georgia city, en route to Huntsville The twin-engine Beechcraft BK-400 jet was carrying five top executives of Bruno's the Southeast supermarket chain, based in Birmingham. Workers spent Wednesday removing the bodies of the two crew members and seven passengers from the steep, wooded area of pines and limestone oiilcroppings. "It is a very hazardous, steep and rocky area." said Roff Sasser. an investigator with the N'TSB Aerial views of the site indicated that only the plane's tail section was still intact.

At 1.700 feet. Lavender Mountain is the highest elevation in the Rome area and much of the thickly wooded area is owned by Berry College, a small liberal arts school at the foot of the mountain. The crash site is six and a half miles west of Rome's Richard Russell Airport, where the jet had taken off at 9:37 a m. The site is two to three minutes flying time from the airport. THE VICTIMS included the chairman and vice chairman of Bruno's based in Birmingham.

The corporation, which had sales of $2 6 billion for the fiscal year ended last June, operates stores in Alabama. Georgia. Tennessee. Mississippi and parts of Florida under the names Piggly Wiggly. Food World.

Food Fair. Foodmax, Consumer Warehouse Foods. Bruno's Finer Foods and Bruno's Food and Pharmacy stores. The executives were being flown by two company pilots on an annual tour of some of the region's stores and were heading for Huntsville. Among the plane's passengers were Angelo J.

Bruno, chairman of the company: his brother. Lee J. Bruno, vice chairman: Sam A. Vacarella. senior vice president for merchandising: Edward C.

Hyde, vice president for store operations: Pay Angelo Bruno Lee J. Bruno Mary Faust, Birmingham, senior vice president and partner Steiner-Bressler. Bruno's advertising agency John Tesney, Birmingham, pilot Rob Stamps. Birmingham, pilot Associated Press South Carolina Rich TrimbleThe Anniston Star glanco: Bruno, is president and chief executive officer: Description: Operates 241 supermarkets in Alabama. Georgia, Florida.

Tennessee. Mississippi and South Carolina. Stor Mnrni Bruno's. Food World. Food Max.

Piggly Wiggly. Consumer Warehouse. American Fare. Annual Sal: $2.6 billion a.m. Wednesday that the plane was missing after taking off from the local airport nearly two hours earlier.

Sasser said that area air-traffic controllers had heard no distress calls from the plane and there had been no witnesses to the crash. BUT WORKERS AT a nearby Use Wakefield's Six Florida Tennessee Bruno's Inc. at a Tha Aiaoclatad Praaa Facts about Bruno's whose chairman. Angclo J. Bruno, was killed along with four other top executives Wednesday: Headquarters: Birmingham, Ala.

Top Leadership: Chairman Angelo J. Bruno's son. Ronald and R. Randolph Page vice president for personnel. Sasser said the plane's flight data recorder had been recovered but officials had yet to determine what had caused the crash.

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