30th Anniversary of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse

On the 30th anniversary of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency hotel walkway collapse that killed 114 people and injured 216, Kansas City Star columnist Steve Kraske moderates a panel discussion about the events of that tragic day and the weeks and months that followed.

The discussion takes place on Sunday, July 17, 2011, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., and is being held in conjunction with the release of a new book – A Dance, Then Disaster: The Hyatt Tragedy and Lessons Learned.

A joint effort of the Kansas City Star and the Skywalk Memorial Foundation, the book explores the structural failure, the rescue efforts, and the many lessons learned—from improved first-responder techniques to revised architectural and engineering standards.

The panel includes Rick Alm, former Kansas City Star reporter and one of the lead reporters on the story 30 years ago; John Sullivan, a Texas attorney and memorial foundation board member who lost his mother in the tragedy; Brent Wright, a Kansas City attorney who lost his mother and step-father and who helps lead the memorial effort; Bill Quatman, an attorney/architect and general counsel at Burns & McDonnell; and Vince Ortega, the first police officer on the scene after the collapse and a memorial foundation board member.

This presentation is part of the Missouri Valley Speakers Series, a program of the Missouri Valley Special Collections at the Central Library. The series is made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Admission is free. RSVP online [1] or call 816.701.3407. Free parking is available at the Library District Parking Garage at 10th & Baltimore.