Age 16. 493 Shirley Street, Winthrop, MA. Born 2/06/1926, in Winthrop. Died of carbon monoxide poisoning (death certificate). Senior at Winthrop High School. Lone victim in a main dining room party of four with her boyfriend Harold Davis, age 18, of Winthrop (Born 9/23/1924. Died 6/13/1988, age 63. Last residence Stoughton, MA), Clifford Johnson, age 21, of Sumner, MO (Born 7/02/1921. Died 12/19/1956, Chariton Co., MO, truck fire, age 35), both U.S. Coast Guardsmen, and the latter's blind date, Miss Estelle Balkan, age 17, also of Winthrop (Born 4/16/1925. Died as Estelle B. Baden on 9/28/1986, age 61. Last residence Pembroke Pines, FL). Coast Guardsman Davis at the spring 1943 Grove manslaughter trials (quote): "Suddenly someone came out on the stage and shouted, 'Fight!' I grabbed my girl...I saw smoke pouring in from above the bar at the Piedmont Street side..." (The Boston Post, 3/23/1943). In the confusion Coast Guardsman Davis lost Miss Bornstein, then in the darkness picked up a different girl from the floor and brought her safely to an exit. Remains of Miss Bornstein were transported to Southern Mortuary, Boston. "Ruth...is known throughout the district for the large number of War Bonds sales made by her" (The Boston Globe, 11/30/1942). Was the tenth-youngest person known present at the club when fire broke, also the sixth-youngest patron present and fourth-youngest casualty. Was the second-youngest female fatality at 16 years and 10 months (after patron Miss Eleanor Chiampa, age 15). Was single. Lived at the same Winthrop address her entire life. Coastguardsman Johnson, burned over 60% of his body, made a historic nationally-observed two-year recovery (24 surgical operations, 18 skin grafts, 100 blood transfusions) only to perish 14 years later in a vehicle rollover fire at Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri (his remarkable story was told by writer Paul Benzaquin in Life magazine, 8/31/1959, and also in a 1982 HBO docudrama). Parents Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Mary (Kabatchnick) Bornstein, same address. Father owned Tremont Provision Co., of Boston. Burial at Fuller Street (Winthrop Congregational) Cemetery, Everett, MA. Middle name Lorraine.

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