Holly Maddux was smart, talented and beautiful. She had the kind of beauty that caused people to notice HER in a room full of pretty young girls. She was a gifted dancer and artist; she could create lovely prose and wonderful, whimsical drawings. She was a sensitive, caring person who went out of her way to extend kindness to others. Even in high school she already possessed an unusual sense of ‘self.’
Holly and I met in the summer of 1963 - before our junior year in high school. We were in our church parking lot after services one Sunday and she commented on my red shoes. Then, we found ourselves in many of the same classes and when we both were unexpectedly elected cheerleader it was a shared thrill that seemed to fuse our friendship.
A quick glance through our senior yearbook reminds us that Holly also was named junior "Class Favorite," "Basketball Princess," senior "Ideal Girl," and voted "Most Likely to Succeed." She was a National Honor Society member her junior and senior years and co-salutatorian of our graduating class.
Holly graduated from Bryn Mawr in 1971 with a bachelor of arts degree in English. Over the next few years, she held several odd jobs and travelled. Vicariously, I trekked around the world with her - thrilled with the stories of her adventures. She sent me stained glass ornaments when she worked as a volunteer in a Kibbutz in Israel and dried flowers from England.
About 1972 Holly became entangled in a tumultuous and dysfunctional relationship with Ira Einhorn, a prominent Philadelphia political activist and self-proclaimed New Age guru. In September 1977, while trying to end the relationship with Einhorn, Holly disappeared.
That same year her family hired an investigator, but it was not until March of 1979 that police conducted a search of Einhorn’s apartment and found her decomposing corpse inside a locked steamer trunk. A medical examiner reported her skull was crushed by at least six blows.
Einhorn was released on $40,000 bail, with the support of powerful friends and his attorney. Just before trial in 1981, he ‘jumped bail’ and fled the country. He lived in Europe under assumed names until he was found in France in 1997.
The extradition process was complicated and contrasted the different interpretations that France and the U.S. have of the concept of the "right to a fair trial". Under the extradition treaty between France and the United States, either country may refuse extradition if it finds that the defendant may not get a fair trial.
In July 2001, the European Court of Human Rights dropped its delay of Einhorn's extradition. He was turned over to U.S. authorities in France, flown to Philadelphia and taken by police to Graterford State Prison, a maximum-security facility.
Einhorn’s defense relied on his claim that Holly was murdered by CIA agents who attempted to frame him because of his investigations on "psychotronics" and the Cold War. However, after only two hours of deliberation, on October 17, 2002, the jury convicted him of Holly’s murder.
In April of 2007 the Pennsylvania state Supreme Court rejected Einhorn’s final appeal. He is currently serving his sentence of life without the possibility of parole in the state prison at Houtzdale in central Pennsylvania.
One thing that makes it difficult to describe Holly after all these years is that when she was murdered, she was not finished becoming herself yet. She possessed such enormous potential.
John Maddux, Meg Maddux Wakeman, "Buffy" Maddux Hall and Mary Maddux prodded investigators for years to search for Ira Einhorn while he was a fugitive and then tenaciously fought to ensure that he was forced to return from France to Philadelphia to stand trial. Their love and memories of their sister Holly and her amazing spirit - gave Holly’s brother and sisters an awesome determination never to give up.
They remain dedicated to educating people about the cycle of domestic violence and urge others to carry on this challenge in their own communities.
holly and I were freinds from hogg jr, hi. my girlfriend Sharon Hearon, and holly were good freinds also. holly was so far advanced and ahead of her time, it was hard for any one to understand what she was saying. all the girls had their hair up with tons of hair spray back then, but not holly. her hair was always natural and beautiful. . holly used to call me ( the great pretender.) and I had no idea what it meant. I can only imagine how far she would have went in life.
first, Thank you Tony for wrapping up the story so nicely. I also had no idea you traveled with her. Her's how she touched my life.... Holly was somehow a "goddess" to me. Somehow way out of my reach to even consider asking her out in hign school. But all that changed... When I went to the Naval Academy at Annapolis we had social affairs where girls where invited to attend Sunday dances. The process was to line Midshipmen and ladies up by height with a screen in between male and and female. (In those days there were no females at the academy.) As each male and female came to the front of the line, they would step forward and see each other for the first time and be formally introduced by an upper classman. There were very strict rules about honor and being a gentleman that prohibited you from ditching the girl if it was not your pick. One of the points was to learn to be pleasant and social even if you didn't like the match-up. These affairs were known by the midshipman as Tea Fights or how do I get rid of this girl and go on the prowl for a better looking one. I'm not saying that was me of course, but it applied to the vast majority. The point is it was an honor to be invited if you were a girl in the area. SO---- I was very lonely and as the Army - Navy football game date approached I built up the courage to contact Holly and ask her if she would be my date to the football game. I wrote her at school and I will never forget the reply I got back ---- why should I? I swallowed my pride and likely begged to see someone from Tyler and she said yes. I prepared a long letter with instrutions as to where to meet after the game and included a ticket. Of couse only the midshipmen could sit together and march at half-time. Of course I imagined Holly would be floating above all of the other females and be easy to find. I certainly spent alot of time imagining what she would look like and how it would go after we met. One very large MISTAKE on my part.... there are 4,000 midshipmen in exactly the same uniform and not one but TWO endzones!!!!!!! Not to mention the caous at the end of the game and being at field level trying to find someone. We never found each other. While I wrote a letter of much apology, she was not happy. And that's how I nearly met a godness. Several years later, I dated Dianne Davenport (Rex) and she was the next best thing to how I viewed Holly. It's really hard for me to believe that both Holly and Dianne have passed on. I have wondered many times how my life would have been different if I had known either one for a longer time.
Peaches and cream. A natural...repeat....NATURAL blonde streak in her hair. No makeup, but naturally pink cheeks. No lipstick but naturally pink lips. No mascara but naturally long, dark lashes....Gah! She was a beautiful girl. I met Holly in dance class when I was five years old. She was poised even then. Very shy and demure. We lost touch until high school at J.T. She absolutely blew everyone out of the water at cheerleader try-outs!!!! lol!!! she was a big surprise and a great cheerleader. Holly had a wicked sense of humor and walked through life with grace and observation. I loved her and kept up with her after we graduated. She came to see my mom at the East Texas Chest hospital when mom was working there in the early seventies. Mom said they had a great visit, but when Holly left that day, mom watched her walk away and said right before Holly got in her car, she turned and waved goodbye. Mom said she looked kind of sad. That's the last time any of us saw her. When I found out about her untimely, violent death, I came home to see her grave with Donna Hayes. We cried and cried over the loss of someone so promising, chosen as most likely to succeed, always seeming to be so sure of her path. I think of her still as that shy, sweet spirited little girl who lived on a hill in Tyler Texas. The one I took dance with and watched grow into a lovely young woman. Poised, inelligent, naive. I pray she's resting in peace.
Every Earth Day I am reminded of my friend Holly, and her untimely end at the hands of Ira Einhorn...On this day every year, I feel compelled to check on the welfare of the despicable Einhorn, who has spent the past 18 years in a Pennsylvania prison...This year, at the risk of disturbing the more timid of us here, I am pleased to announce that I have lived long enough to report his death in that prison...He ceased polluting the prison air with his last breath 17 days ago today...May his soul burn in the foulest corner of a fiery Hell until the end of time, and may Holly rest in Heavenly peace forever...
Betty Sue Ashcraft (Willis)
Long gone, but never forgotten.
Toni Erwin (Ferrell)
Holly Maddux was smart, talented and beautiful. She had the kind of beauty that caused people to notice HER in a room full of pretty young girls. She was a gifted dancer and artist; she could create lovely prose and wonderful, whimsical drawings. She was a sensitive, caring person who went out of her way to extend kindness to others. Even in high school she already possessed an unusual sense of ‘self.’Holly and I met in the summer of 1963 - before our junior year in high school. We were in our church parking lot after services one Sunday and she commented on my red shoes. Then, we found ourselves in many of the same classes and when we both were unexpectedly elected cheerleader it was a shared thrill that seemed to fuse our friendship.
A quick glance through our senior yearbook reminds us that Holly also was named junior "Class Favorite," "Basketball Princess," senior "Ideal Girl," and voted "Most Likely to Succeed." She was a National Honor Society member her junior and senior years and co-salutatorian of our graduating class.
Holly graduated from Bryn Mawr in 1971 with a bachelor of arts degree in English. Over the next few years, she held several odd jobs and travelled. Vicariously, I trekked around the world with her - thrilled with the stories of her adventures. She sent me stained glass ornaments when she worked as a volunteer in a Kibbutz in Israel and dried flowers from England.
About 1972 Holly became entangled in a tumultuous and dysfunctional relationship with Ira Einhorn, a prominent Philadelphia political activist and self-proclaimed New Age guru. In September 1977, while trying to end the relationship with Einhorn, Holly disappeared.
That same year her family hired an investigator, but it was not until March of 1979 that police conducted a search of Einhorn’s apartment and found her decomposing corpse inside a locked steamer trunk. A medical examiner reported her skull was crushed by at least six blows.
Einhorn was released on $40,000 bail, with the support of powerful friends and his attorney. Just before trial in 1981, he ‘jumped bail’ and fled the country. He lived in Europe under assumed names until he was found in France in 1997.
The extradition process was complicated and contrasted the different interpretations that France and the U.S. have of the concept of the "right to a fair trial". Under the extradition treaty between France and the United States, either country may refuse extradition if it finds that the defendant may not get a fair trial.
In July 2001, the European Court of Human Rights dropped its delay of Einhorn's extradition. He was turned over to U.S. authorities in France, flown to Philadelphia and taken by police to Graterford State Prison, a maximum-security facility.
Einhorn’s defense relied on his claim that Holly was murdered by CIA agents who attempted to frame him because of his investigations on "psychotronics" and the Cold War. However, after only two hours of deliberation, on October 17, 2002, the jury convicted him of Holly’s murder.
In April of 2007 the Pennsylvania state Supreme Court rejected Einhorn’s final appeal. He is currently serving his sentence of life without the possibility of parole in the state prison at Houtzdale in central Pennsylvania.
One thing that makes it difficult to describe Holly after all these years is that when she was murdered, she was not finished becoming herself yet. She possessed such enormous potential.
John Maddux, Meg Maddux Wakeman, "Buffy" Maddux Hall and Mary Maddux prodded investigators for years to search for Ira Einhorn while he was a fugitive and then tenaciously fought to ensure that he was forced to return from France to Philadelphia to stand trial. Their love and memories of their sister Holly and her amazing spirit - gave Holly’s brother and sisters an awesome determination never to give up.
They remain dedicated to educating people about the cycle of domestic violence and urge others to carry on this challenge in their own communities.
Ronnie Maynard
holly and I were freinds from hogg jr, hi. my girlfriend Sharon Hearon, and holly were good freinds also. holly was so far advanced and ahead of her time, it was hard for any one to understand what she was saying. all the girls had their hair up with tons of hair spray back then, but not holly. her hair was always natural and beautiful. . holly used to call me ( the great pretender.) and I had no idea what it meant. I can only imagine how far she would have went in life.
Quinn Edmondson
first, Thank you Tony for wrapping up the story so nicely. I also had no idea you traveled with her. Her's how she touched my life.... Holly was somehow a "goddess" to me. Somehow way out of my reach to even consider asking her out in hign school. But all that changed... When I went to the Naval Academy at Annapolis we had social affairs where girls where invited to attend Sunday dances. The process was to line Midshipmen and ladies up by height with a screen in between male and and female. (In those days there were no females at the academy.) As each male and female came to the front of the line, they would step forward and see each other for the first time and be formally introduced by an upper classman. There were very strict rules about honor and being a gentleman that prohibited you from ditching the girl if it was not your pick. One of the points was to learn to be pleasant and social even if you didn't like the match-up. These affairs were known by the midshipman as Tea Fights or how do I get rid of this girl and go on the prowl for a better looking one. I'm not saying that was me of course, but it applied to the vast majority. The point is it was an honor to be invited if you were a girl in the area. SO---- I was very lonely and as the Army - Navy football game date approached I built up the courage to contact Holly and ask her if she would be my date to the football game. I wrote her at school and I will never forget the reply I got back ---- why should I? I swallowed my pride and likely begged to see someone from Tyler and she said yes. I prepared a long letter with instrutions as to where to meet after the game and included a ticket. Of couse only the midshipmen could sit together and march at half-time. Of course I imagined Holly would be floating above all of the other females and be easy to find. I certainly spent alot of time imagining what she would look like and how it would go after we met. One very large MISTAKE on my part.... there are 4,000 midshipmen in exactly the same uniform and not one but TWO endzones!!!!!!! Not to mention the caous at the end of the game and being at field level trying to find someone. We never found each other. While I wrote a letter of much apology, she was not happy. And that's how I nearly met a godness. Several years later, I dated Dianne Davenport (Rex) and she was the next best thing to how I viewed Holly. It's really hard for me to believe that both Holly and Dianne have passed on. I have wondered many times how my life would have been different if I had known either one for a longer time.
Vicki Britton (Heap)
Peaches and cream. A natural...repeat....NATURAL blonde streak in her hair. No makeup, but naturally pink cheeks. No lipstick but naturally pink lips. No mascara but naturally long, dark lashes....Gah! She was a beautiful girl. I met Holly in dance class when I was five years old. She was poised even then. Very shy and demure. We lost touch until high school at J.T. She absolutely blew everyone out of the water at cheerleader try-outs!!!! lol!!! she was a big surprise and a great cheerleader. Holly had a wicked sense of humor and walked through life with grace and observation. I loved her and kept up with her after we graduated. She came to see my mom at the East Texas Chest hospital when mom was working there in the early seventies. Mom said they had a great visit, but when Holly left that day, mom watched her walk away and said right before Holly got in her car, she turned and waved goodbye. Mom said she looked kind of sad. That's the last time any of us saw her. When I found out about her untimely, violent death, I came home to see her grave with Donna Hayes. We cried and cried over the loss of someone so promising, chosen as most likely to succeed, always seeming to be so sure of her path. I think of her still as that shy, sweet spirited little girl who lived on a hill in Tyler Texas. The one I took dance with and watched grow into a lovely young woman. Poised, inelligent, naive. I pray she's resting in peace.Ben Young
Every Earth Day I am reminded of my friend Holly, and her untimely end at the hands of Ira Einhorn...On this day every year, I feel compelled to check on the welfare of the despicable Einhorn, who has spent the past 18 years in a Pennsylvania prison...This year, at the risk of disturbing the more timid of us here, I am pleased to announce that I have lived long enough to report his death in that prison...He ceased polluting the prison air with his last breath 17 days ago today...May his soul burn in the foulest corner of a fiery Hell until the end of time, and may Holly rest in Heavenly peace forever...
Ruth Young (Thigpen)
I rarely ever post but every Earthday I always think of Holly. So sad a life taken so early RIP Holly.❤