TX - 'Lori Ruff', Longview, WhtFem UP9863, *General Discussion and Theories* #1

[MrsTigglesworth]

Couple of things re LEK’s parachuting. The certificate says that it was Tandem Solo Flight (not sure how it can be both tandem and solo at the same time) of a Buckeye Powered Parachute. This is like a go-kart attached to a parachute. They fly low and slow. Think of flying just above the trees. Supposedly they are great for taking aerial photography. Anyway, the point is that this is a very different experience from jumping out of a plane.
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Interesting. Perhaps this was related to photography. I thought all along it was jumping out of a plane! My first guess as to why she kept it was that it was one of her first official "on paper" certificates of achievement using her new name ( till I remembered to see it was 1996). Maybe it was the only award certificate ever earned by her? She surely must have been proud of it and it is much better looking than a GED score. We have seen nothing of her college diploma. The reason it was released, I think, is just what y'all have said... It is something unique that might spark a recollection.

 

[ClaireNC]

http://parachutepilot.com/myphotos.htm

http://www.hopspoweredparachutes.com/

Maybe give us some background on the how these are related? What are the sources, how could they possibly be related to this case?

 

[fred&edna]

Interesting. Perhaps this was related to photography. I thought all along it was jumping out of a plane! My first guess as to why she kept it was that it was one of her first official "on paper" certificates of achievement using her new name ( till I remembered to see it was 1996). Maybe it was the only award certificate ever earned by her? She surely must have been proud of it and it is much better looking than a GED score. We have seen nothing of her college diploma. The reason it was released, I think, is just what y'all have said... It is something unique that might spark a recollection.

I tried to explain the whole powered parachuting thing a couple of times... even included a video, lol Maybe my posts are in the original thread. I've never thought she actually parachuted from a plane.

 

[ClaireNC]

Regarding the possibility of her being home schooled. Remember we are talking about somebody that grew up in the 1960's and 1970's. There were laws in place that forced parents to send their children to public schools. Yes, there were certain religious sects that filled the requirements to get around those laws, but I am giving an insight on the majority of people.

At that time, public education was seen as an opportunity, not something to be scorned. The whole movement to home schooling did not become popular until the 1990's. This lead to new laws and state testing requirements to measure the progress of home schooled children.

 

[MrsTigglesworth]

I tried to explain the whole powered parachuting thing a couple of times... even included a video, lol Maybe my posts are in the original thread. I've never thought she actually parachuted from a plane.

Sorry fred&edna!

 

[ClaireNC]

I tried to explain the whole powered parachuting thing a couple of times... even included a video, lol Maybe my posts are in the original thread. I've never thought she actually parachuted from a plane.

Thanks for the info fred&eda. I also thought she jumped from a plane! You can start a new thread if you think this is information worth storing in it's own place.

 

[fred&edna]

Sorry fred&edna!

Don't be... there are so many posts now it's hard to keep up! Just today I've read at least 4 posts I'd missed before.

 

[fred&edna]

Thanks for the info fred&eda. I also thought she jumped from a plane! You can start a new thread if you think this is information worth storing in it's own place.

I don't believe that it's relevant unless someone can find a connection to her identity. (The only thing we might have established is that she didn't parachute from an airplane, she "piloted" a powered parachute... so, it's not that important right now.)

 

[ktgirl]

Well, I don't believe that Lori is nearly as common a name as David, which is an extremely common Christian name since biblical times. Jmo of course.

An extremely common Jewish name, too (he's one of the most important figures in Jewish history).

Lori isn't as common as say, David, but Lori was common for the era she was born in (or claimed to be born in). If I was going to disappear & pick a new name, I'd guess picking one that would be common for women of my age to have would be a way to blend in. There were several girls names Jennifer and Ashley each year in my grade in school (so many they were all known as Jennifer C., Jennifer F., Ashley S., Ashley P., etc). Jennifer or Ashley would be the likely names to choose for me to blend in- not a name lots of people would remember as strange for my age. Also, as a kid lots of the girls in my class with names that weren't Jennifer or Ashley wished those were their names (even briefly) because they were so popular, especially if their given names were considered old-fashioned or weird.

In my opinion, LEK could have picked Lori because it wouldn't stand out as a strange name for a woman her age (or the age she claimed to be) or garner any extra attention. If she was indeed the age she claimed, she could have decided she would finally have a more "en vogue" name like girls she had grown up around and chosen Lori. I wouldn't be surprised if she researched the more popular girls' names of the years around her birth/alleged birth & chose Lori or if she chose it because knew a lot of girls named Lori growing up that were born when she was or claimed to be.

 

[ktgirl]

A quick search of Google is showing me that people discussing the name Lori as a nickname on name websites/forums are writing that Lori can also be a nickname for Loretta, Lorraine, and Dolores/Delores (based on people they knew who had these given names but went by Lori for short or were often call Lori).

Probably doesn't relate to or didn't influence her choice of Lori as her name, but it's some more info on the name Lori.

I suppose she could have been a Loretta, Lorraine (and maybe Lorraina/Lorena?), Dolores/Delores, (or even maybe a Lauren?) in her "past life" and was ready to choose a name that was a nickname for her birth name, even if no one called her by it growing up. I'm more inclined to think she chose it just because of it's popularity for women her (alleged) age and maybe because she liked it. But I do wonder if there are any missing Lorettas, Lorraines, Doloreses, etc. that could match to LEK.

 

[ClaireNC]

(snipped for space)

In my opinion, LEK could have picked Lori because it wouldn't stand out as a strange name for a woman her age (or the age she claimed to be) or garner any extra attention. If she was indeed the age she claimed, she could have decided she would finally have a more "en vogue" name like girls she had grown up around and chosen Lori. I wouldn't be surprised if she researched the more popular girls' names of the years around her birth/alleged birth & chose Lori or if she chose it because knew a lot of girls named Lori growing up that were born when she was or claimed to be.

I went to elementary school in the 1960's and high school in the 1970's and there were a lot of Lori's. (In elementary school our class size was usually about 25 students, each class had 2 to 4 girls called Lori) Yes, it was often a nickname for a girl with a formal name of Lauren, Laura, Lorraine, Loretta, etc. But we all just knew them as Lori. The name Lori was "cool" while the more formal names were considered old fashion.

There were not really tools to research popular names readily available in the 1980's (we had no internet), so she might have just chose a name that she considered to be common. I do think that there might also be some connection to the name Lori in her true identity.

 

[HerStory]

So, I am reading that Loompanics book and had a light bulb moment. How about missing women AFTER 1988 to about 1990/91ish?

Maybe FLEK followed through with her identity change but lived simultaneously for a period of time under her true name?

 

[chris24]

Keep in mind Lori is also a more generic name (I can say that because mine is too). It is easier to blend in. If her name was "Cassandra-Lynn Lyons" for example that is more memorable...and when you are trying to blend in generic wins.

 

[Ngaio]

Maybe give us some background on the how these are related? What are the sources, how could they possibly be related to this case?

The same Buckeye Pilot certificate?

 

[mandiedq]

The same Buckeye Pilot certificate?

I found the list of instructors on that site. One seems to possibly be the signature on the certificate:

http://parachutepilot.com/States/texas_instructors.htm

His location (Princeton) doesn't seem to be too far from Dallas!

 

[neesaki]

I found the list of instructors on that site. One seems to possibly be the signature on the certificate:

http://parachutepilot.com/States/texas_instructors.htm

His location (Princeton) doesn't seem to be too far from Dallas!

I thought that was interesting too, mandie, it was posted a few pages back. It's just hard to believe that the investigator wouldn't have already followed up on that lead. But then again, who knows...

 

[fred&edna]

Was the witness on the certificate "Christian Shaver"? Wonder if he is associated with the training center, or her ex-bf, or ??

 

[neesaki]

Please, could someone with an Ancestry.com membership check out these two year book photos and tell me I'm crazy?

There is an L. K. (not kennedy) that bears strong resemblance to our LEK. The only thing is that she looks different because she has no bangs, hair is long and parted in the middle. Also, in the second one she isn't smiling at all. The eyes, nose, mouth. She looks as though she would be tall as well. It looks so much like her, even though she's not smiling, imo.

Just search under High school year books, San Jose, CA, Independence High School.

Year 1977, Junior year, the photo is on page 111, 5th row down, first photo.

Year 1978, Senior year, the photo is on page 47, 2nd row down, 2nd photo.

Sorry, not getting anywhere on the yearbook thread so am posting this here.

So no one here has an Ancestry.com account? lease: I thought I remembered someone did because they gave me a pointer or two earlier in the thread. A few more opinions on this girl would be great. She looks so much like her, a little different in the Jr. versus the Sr. photo. Smile is very close in the Jr. pic. If she were smiling in the Sr. photo she would be almost a dead on match. The nose though very close, could go along with the nose job theory.

 

[HerStory]

Was the witness on the certificate "Christian Shaver"? Wonder if he is associated with the training center, or her ex-bf, or ??

It appears to be a 'Christina Shaver'. I find several hits on her in and around the Dallas area.

 

[Ngaio]

I found the list of instructors on that site. One seems to possibly be the signature on the certificate:

http://parachutepilot.com/States/texas_instructors.htm

His location (Princeton) doesn't seem to be too far from Dallas!

That's what I meant. :gthanks: