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A family remembers Alyson
By Lori Porter
Acorn Staff Writer

Last February, Don and Joanne Kaplan of Agoura Hills received the horrible news that their 20-year-old daughter, Alyson Ilene Kaplan, had been murdered while vacationing in London. Kaplan’s body was found on Jan. 31, 2003 in a hotel room in Pimlico, an area of Central London.
She was on a bus traveling to Bristol for a rendezvous with a classmate when a freak blizzard shut down the London transit system, leaving the young traveler deserted. She found her way to London’s Victoria Station but missed her train after being directed to the wrong platform. Kaplan was lured from the train platform by 28-year-old Robert Noble to his hotel, where he ultimately robbed her and strangled her to death.

Within days, Noble turned himself in and confessed to the murder, and last April he was sentenced to life in prison.

There will be a special memorial service called an "unveiling" beginning at 12:30 p.m. this Sun., Feb. 29 at Pierce Brothers Memorial Park in Westlake Village.

An unveiling is a ceremony observed in the Jewish religion where a headstone is unveiled, signifying the end to the period of mourning. Rabbi Gary Johnson of Temple Beth Haverim in Agoura Hills will conduct the service. Kaplan was cremated and a memorial statue of three dolphins, an animal their daughter loved deeply, sits in the Kaplan Family Garden at Pierce Brothers.

The tragic loss left the Kaplan family agonizing over the circumstances and mistakes that led to their daughter’s death. The Alyson Kaplan Memorial Foundation was established in February 2003 to educate young tourists about traveling safely.

The Kaplans created a Website immediately following the news about their daughter. It began with testimonials, impact statements, updates and several beautiful photos of Alyson. In an unusual decision to reveal all the details surrounding her murder, including Noble’s confession and interrogation by police, the Kaplans felt they could make a difference.

"We put everything on the Website. We opened up our hearts so other kids would read it and think about what could happen to them," said Don Kaplan. Discovering a lack of information, tools and resources for all travelers who find themselves in emergency situations while abroad, the Kaplans went to work on the foundation.

It will soon provide a comprehensive Website and international toll-free hotline to assist those who may be lost, stranded or threatened. In addition, the Website will provide information regarding safe travel. It will include options for short-term housing and locations of "safe" shelters that are close to public transportation and popular destinations for youth. Travelers visiting the Website will also learn about various health, cultural and political conditions in a particular country.

Currently, the foundation is working to get partnerships with universities and colleges to make the services of the foundation available to all students. The Kaplans hope that an international network of safe havens will be created by the combined efforts of the foundation and colleges.

In addition, the Kaplans plan to have travel experts go to universities and high schools to give lectures on travel safety and to make students aware of the foundation’s Website.

Although a handful of travel information Websites exist, the Kaplans believe theirs will go beyond the others. By first giving background information on the events that led to their daughter’s death, they believe the site will get instant credibility.

In addition to learning what to expect and the places to avoid, the Website will provide the addresses and phone numbers of medical services, local police and the U.S. Embassy.

The Kaplans said the past year has been incredibly painful. "We wanted to take a negative and turn it into a positive," said Don Kaplan.

Anyone interested in making a donation to the foundation can do so by visiting the contributions page. The foundation welcomes any suggestions or comments that will advance its goals. For input or more information, please call the Kaplan family representative, Jacqueline Brown, at (818) 906-2273 or you can e-mail Jacqueline Brown at aikfoundation@sbcglobal.net