In a two-month span this summer, Mississippi State lost four students in separate automobile accidents. One was less than a week away from receiving his degree, one was preparing for her senior year, one was following in her father’s footsteps, and one would never really get a chance to call MSU home.
“It’s a tragedy when we lose someone that has so much potential, and we’ve done that four times now,” MSU President “Doc” Foglesong said. “It’s not supposed to happen this way.”
Chris Armstrong, 27, graduating senior
When senior music education major Cindy Wharton received an unexpected call in May that her friend Chris Armstrong had died, she didn’t know how to respond.
“I got a call at 3 in the morning from a fellow band member,” Wharton said. “The details were really unclear, [there were] a lot of conflicting stories as to what happened.”
According to school officials, Armstrong died in an automobile accident May 8 when his vehicle collided with an 18-wheeler. Reports indicated he died shortly thereafter.
Wharton had known Armstrong for two years, spending football games together in the Famous Maroon Band.
“He was a huge State fan. It was a large part of his life, and he wanted to make sure he graduated from here,” she said.
Over the course of Armstrong’s 10-year association with the school, he made many friends.
Houston, Texas, band director and MSU alumnus Kevin Poe said Armstrong was one of the best friends he ever had.
“When I was in band with him in 1996, he was a really neat guy that people didn’t get a chance to know,” Poe said. “He was very approachable with a bright personality and he really took it to heart if anyone got offended.”
Not only was Armstrong a friendly person, but he was a role model to other instrumentalists. Famous Maroon Band director Elva Kaye Lance worked closely with him.
“Armstrong was a very strong contributor to the MSU Band,” she said. “He was a member of the wind ensemble and also served as squad leader and section leader.”
Armstrong was buried wearing his university sweatshirt, indicative of his decade-long school spirit. He was also buried with his diploma.
“His mother told me she was going to bury him in his Mississippi State sweatshirt because he loved the school so much,” Foglesong said.
A scholarship dedicated to Chris Armstrong’s memory will be made available through the MSU Music department, though details are unavailable at this time.
“He had a lot of adversity and struggles in his life, a lot of roadblocks,” Wharton said, “but he was determined to get his degree, and he was so close.”
Lyndall Wood, 23, senior architecture major
Tragedy rocked the music department once again a week later. Lyndall Wood, a senior architecture major and flutist in the band, was killed in an automobile accident just six days after Armstrong.
She and her family were on their way to Orlando for a summer vacation when Wood swerved to miss a vehicle. The sudden turn caused their vehicle to overturn, and though her parents and brother made it out, Wood never made it to the hospital.
Junior architecture major Sara Silvestri said that Wood was very focused on her work in the Giles Hall studio.
“Every time I saw her in the studio, she was working,” Silvestri said. “She had one year left of studio. For her to have made it that far is really incredible.”
Wood’s brother Daniel said that she was always there when he needed her.
“We were very close,” Wood said. “For most of my life, [she was] the only friend I ever had.”
Lance said that organizations like band are particularly affected when they lose one of their own.
“Band is like a large family,” Lance said. “When tragedy strikes, the entire band is affected by the loss.”
Wood said that adjusting to life without his sister has been difficult, but that he’s dealing with the loss one day at a time.
“Lyndall was one of a kind,” he said. “She truly was an angel on Earth, a very special person.”
Tim Nootbaar, 18, incoming freshman
Incoming freshman and Starkville High School graduate Tim Nootbaar hoped to begin his academic career at MSU. But on June 14, three days after summer orientation, Nootbaar lost control of his vehicle and flipped, ultimately being struck by an oncoming car.
“Tim was one of a kind, the greatest guy I’ve ever known,” best friend and freshman Andrew Mock said. “He was always kind, always helping his friends and family, and always took time out of his schedule to see how you were doing.”
Family members described him as a devout Christian and talented athlete. He played a variety of sports, including a stint in pair skating that won him national recognition.
The day before his death, he caught up with teachers and fellow church members at Bulldog Deli.
“Tim went to work by accident and his boss let him work an extra shift. He saw more people he knew that day than ever,” Keith Nootbaar said.
Later that night, Nootbaar played in a church softball game and saw many of his friends he hadn’t seen since his high school graduation.
“We literally couldn’t go 10 feet without having to stop and speak to someone he knew. It was like he was saying goodbye to everyone,” Keith said.
Tim’s stepmother, Julie Nootbaar, said his accident was a result of human error and nothing else.
“There was no drinking involved, and he was going the speed limit,” Julie Nootbaar said.
Mock said Tim signed up for the earliest orientation possible because he was excited about attending State. The two of them, along with Tim’s father, attended orientation together.
“He was in heaven here [at State], and he looked forward to his last year of college,” Keith said.
Emily Anglin, 19, undeclared sophomore
On June 23, sophomore Emily Anglin died when her vehicle veered into the lane of an oncoming truck.
“She was a very sweet and fun loving girl. She made friends quickly and was very easy to get along with,” Emily’s father, William, said.
Emily, undeclared during her freshman year, had recently decided to change her major to general business, Anglin said.
“In her freshman year, Emily leaned toward graphic design as a major,” Anglin said.
After interning at the Meridian Star newspaper, Emily decided to major in general business. Being an MSU College of Business graduate, Emily’s father said he felt honored she was following in his footsteps.
“She was going to be in general business. That’s the reason we set up the memorial through the school,” Anglin said.
Karly Williams, Emily’s stepsister and fellow Zeta Tau Alpha member, said that Emily loved MSU.
“College was made for Emily. The best year of Emily’s life was at State,” Williams said. “She loved everything: the dorm life and especially the sororities.”
Last September, she met best friend and sorority sister Kayla Lucio while they both lived in Sessums.
“She was like the sister I never had and was an amazing best friend,” said Lucio. “We were attached at the hip.”
Emily was elected a cabinet member of Zeta Tau Alpha. Her job as social chairman was to present T-shirt designs to the rest of the sorority.
“She took over my job from last year, but she was really artsy and liked to paint canvases so I knew she would be good at it,” Lucio said. “I miss her so much. I just don’t want her to be forgotten.”
Lucio added that Emily also loved to dance. In Meridian, Anglin’s hometown, Lamar High School donated a dance studio in her name to help preserve her memory.
Her parents have also established an endowed scholarship in her name. The Emily Anglin Scholarship is available through the College of Business and will be available to any class, according to Emily’s father. Zeta Tau Alpha has started raising money for the scholarship as well to show its support. Students must have a 3.0 grade point average and be a native of the state. It is a $25,000 endowed scholarship and will be available every year.