Stanley McDonald Jr., Audra's father, Dies in Air Crash
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Stanley McDonald Jr., Father of Tony-Winner Audra McDonald, Dies in
Air Crash
By Kenneth Jones
30 Apr 2007
Stanley McDonald Jr., father of four-time Tony Award-winning actress
Audra McDonald, died April 29 in an aviation accident near Olivehurst,
CA, the Sacramento Bee reported.
An experienced pilot, he was reportedly flying a single-occupant
experimental aircraft known as a gyroplane when it apparently
experienced mechanical trouble. Around noon Pacific time, the
helicopter-like aircraft crashed onto the southbound lanes of Highway
70 near Olivehurst, Yuba County police said.
Mr. McDonald, of Fresno, was 62 years old.
Audra McDonald will miss the May 2-3 performances of Broadway's 110 in
the Shade due to the sudden death of her father, a spokesman for
Roundabout Theatre Company confirmed. She will perform in the musical
May 1 at Studio 54 and resume performances May 4.
The Fresno Bee reported that Mr. McDonald retired in 2005 as the
assistant superintendent of human resources for the Fresno Unified
School District.
Stanley McDonald was serving in the U.S. Army and stationed in Germany
at the time of Audra's birth in 1970. She and younger sister Alison
grew up in Fresno.
He was reportedly an experienced helicopter and fixed-wing pilot, and
had built the craft himself. The crash is being investigated by The
Federal Aviation Administration and the California Highway Patrol.
In recent weeks, Audra McDonald has been playing Lizzie in previews
for the Roundabout Theatre Company's new production of the musical 110
in the Shade, scheduled for a May 9 opening.
Hoodini
May 2, 2007
http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries/366456,CST-NWS-xmcd02.article
OLIVEHURST, Calif. -- Stanley McDonald Jr., the father of Broadway
star Audra McDonald, was killed as an experimental aircraft he was
flying crashed north of Sacramento.
Mr. McDonald, 62, was pronounced dead at the scene Sunday, the Yuba
County Sheriff's Department said. He retired in 2005 as assistant
superintendent of human resources for the Fresno Unified School
District, where he worked for 33 years.
His wife, Vicki, said he had taken the craft, described as similar to
a helicopter, for repairs to Olivehurst, about 40 miles north of
Sacramento.
She said he was experienced as a helicopter and fixed-wing pilot and
had been logging his training hours in the experimental craft when it
crashed.
Witnesses said the aircraft seemed to be having mechanical trouble and
clipped trees before it crashed near Highway 70.
''It was flying erratic, and I [saw] debris coming out,'' said David
Aguirre of Olivehurst. He said the aircraft leaned to the side, then
flipped upside down. The blades stopped, and it plummeted.
The crash attracted a crowd of several hundred people, said Sgt. Joe
Million of the Yuba County Sheriff's Department. The highway was
closed for more than three hours Sunday afternoon.
Audra McDonald, a four-time Tony winner, currently is appearing on
Broadway in a revival of ''110 in the Shade.'' The actress was to
appear in the show Tuesday night but Wednesday and Thursday
performances were canceled, said Matt Polk, a spokesman for the
Roundabout Theatre Company production. McDonald will return to the
show Friday, Polk added.
The Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt musical is now in previews and will open
as scheduled May 9.
AP
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