Local News in Brief : Costa Mesa : Student Memorial Fund Withheld, Official Says

The mother of a Costa Mesa High School cheerleader who died in a plane crash last August has decided to withhold from the school several thousand dollars in a memorial fund because the girl’s senior photo was omitted from the yearbook, a school official said.

The mother could not be reached.

Steve Pavich, assistant principal, said that a baby picture and poem about the girl, Hidi Ratliff, were included in the yearbook and that photos of the girl were handed out to students after the error was discovered.

The omission happened inadvertently, Pavich said, probably because the photo was given to members of the news media immediately after the girl’s death. Pavich did not explain where the replacement photo came from.

Hidi Ratliff died with 156 other passengers on a Northwest Airlines jetliner that crashed on Aug. 16.

Pavich said he hopes that the girl’s mother, Mary Ann Ratliff, will change her mind about donating the money raised after the girl’s death.

“She knows the funds are going to the students,” he said. “I would feel hurt myself if the picture were deleted on purpose. She’s a very concerned and loving parent, and she wanted to see the picture there.”