Shumway became president of the United States Figure Skating Association in 1961 , shortly before the entire U.S. figure skating team , with coaches and family , died in the crash of Sabena Flight 548 ( 15 February 1961 ) . Shumway was instrumental in uniting the figure skating community in its grief and providing an outlet for that grief , in the form of the USFSA Memorial Fund . Shumway said in September of that year : " We will take our Memorial Fund a giant skating stroke forward toward our goal of perpetuating the memory of our gallant 1961 World Team skaters , not so much by statuary and plaques , as by giving us the means to assist talented young skaters — many of them yet ' undiscovered ' — to get started , to develop and advance , and eventually to represent our country in future years , and to be ranked at the top of the world in the art of figure skating . " Shumway and his wife , Hettie ( née Lakin ) , were generous donors to RIT . Hettie Shumway is the namesake of one of RIT 's dining halls
Sabena Flight 548
Sabena Flight 548
F. Ritter Shumway