Nancy Ellin Raub ²⁰³

   Cause of her death was Bus accident while on a trip to NYC from Trenton State College.

  General Notes:

One of the worst accidents in New Jersey history occurred on Oct. 9, 1959, when an empty tanker truck struck a chartered bus carrying 40 Trenton State College coeds and a professor, immediately killing 10 people.

The group was returning to Trenton State from a Friday night performance of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play "J.B.'' The work was based on the Biblical story of Job, a righteous man whose faith in God was tested by unspeakable suffering.

The bus was stopping for a red light on the southbound side of Route 1 at Ryders Lane in North Brunswick when it was rammed by the truck at approximately 35 miles per hour. The bus' gasoline tank exploded and fire engulfed both vehicles.

Dr. Ernest Sixta, professor of European and American history at the college, tried to maintain calm. He was heard shouting, "Don't panic, don't panic.'' His words were cut off as flames shot through the bus, killing the 40-year-old Ewing resident and nine other students instantly.

A legal controversy was sparked when it was learned that Poe [The truck driver] had seven motor vehicle violations in five years. An inspection of the truck found the brakes were only capable of 50 percent efficiency.

The accident helped prompt New York to adopt a universal inspection policy. New Jersey lawmakers debated the virtues of separate speed limits for commercial trucks, but decided instead on no-truck lanes on major highways.

Four of the women were identified through their dental records: Yolanda Benson, 19, of Freehold; Judy Tettamanti, 18, of Phillipsburg; Jane McCormack, 18, of Middletown; and Dorothy Pinchak of Paterson.

Five were burned beyond recognition: Beverly Allen, 20, of Newark; Arlene Mayer, 17, of Verona; Rae Steinberg, 18, of Camden; Nancy Raub, 19, of North Arlington; and Pearl Wright, 18, of Bridgeton.

Trying to identify the remains was a surrealistic nightmare, as grief-stricken parents filled Boylan's Funeral Home in New Brunswick. ²⁰⁵