SUCCESS with a cherry on top!

It occured to me that I should be searching the newspaper archives for Seattle and Oakland (and San Francisco Bay Area). And I found an article: One of the passengers was apparently a journalist for the Seattle Times and he penned a "personal recollections" type article; the vivacious 17-year old he quotes was ME!

I will continue searching for other references to the event, but the key next step is to see if the journalist is extant.

Thank you all for your suggestions and your emotional support !