CINCINNATI — 43 years after eleven young fans of The Who were killed while waiting to get in to the band's Cincinnati concert, family and community members gathered to remember them.
"It's a way for families and other people affected by this event to kind of come together and support each other," Kasey Ladd, the organizer of the event said. "Taking a negative and making it a positive."
Ladd was just a toddler when his mom, Teva Rae Ladd went to the concert and never came back. He organized this memorial event 13 years ago and has been holding it every year since.
The event helps his dad cope with his grief. Mike Ladd didn't just lose his wife on December 3, 1979, he survived the tragedy.
"A wall of people came over and we hit the ground, she went one way and I went another," Mike Ladd said.
When he got back to his feet, he saw police and paramedics.
"Next thing I know, they were bringing people out on stretchers and I seen her come out. They tried to revive her, but they failed," Mike Ladd said.
He describes her as a free spirit, a hard worker and someone who loved her kids.
Back in May, The Who returned to Cincinnatifor the first time since this tragedy. They honored the eleven lives lost 43 years ago before and during the show.
Mike and Kasey Ladd were there and even got to meet the band's manager.
It was a night Mike Ladd describes as his happiest in a long time.
While it provided closure for many, it also ensures the eleven fans killed in 1979 will be remembered through scholarships at their high schools. Proceeds from the concert will fund these eleven scholarships and they'll be awarded to students pursuing a degree in the arts.
Scholarships have been awarded through the P.E.M Memorial Fund at Finneytown High School since 2010, but now the scholarships will expand to other area high schools.
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