On March 20 in a car accident about 120 miles from campus, Mississippi State University lost one of its students.
As well as a daughter.
And a sister.
A high school yearbook editor.
A tennis enthusiast.
A Phish fan.
And a friend.
Jessica Ann Willhite, an MSU freshman majoring in accounting, was returning from Spring Break north on U.S. Highway 45 when she lost control of her Toyota 4Runner and veered off the road near Quitman. She had recently celebrated her 19th birthday.
“Her life really changed for the better when she came to MSU,” said her brother, Brian. “The student body opened their arms and accepted her into their ‘family.’ Her friends meant a lot to her, and she meant so much to us.”
Jessica served as a co-editor for Collierville High School’s yearbook in 2004. She was also a former member of the CHS tennis team and Youth Leadership Collierville.
Along with being an honors student and a member of Who’s Who Among American High School Students, she also maintained perfect attendance throughout her academic career.
“Going to class was very important to her,” said friend Rachel Seals. “No matter what was going on, she’d always go to class, and she’d make sure you went to yours, too. She always looked out for everyone.”
John Sparkes, Jessica’s boyfriend of seven months, described her as very responsible and a “special girl to a lot of people.”
Other friends marveled at how hard she tried to be there for the people she loved, saying that her friends were “her life.”
From a Feb. 5 entry in her Xanga online diary:
“I love my friends here. They are completely awesome, and I can always count on them in order to have a great time. I have such a blast with them no matter what we are doing! And John is the bomb! Everyone’s birthday is coming up soon…I must buy many gifts, plus Valentine’s Day gifts too!”
“She always worried more about others than she did herself,” said Greg Clements, a senior at MSU. “I know that the short time she spent [at MSU] was the best time of her life. She loved everything about the university and the people here.”
Jessica could normally be seen enjoying the music of Bill Cooke at Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern or snapping photographs of her friends, capturing and carefully preserving all the good moments they spent.
Seals said she hopes Jessica knew how much she meant to those around her.
In the editor’s farewell, Jessica closed the 2004 Collierville yearbook with the familiar inscription “…The times we had will never be forgotten.”
Jessica’s parents, Randy and Mary Ann Willhite, have requested all memorials to be sent to: Holt International Adoption Agency, P.O. Box 2880, Eugene, OR, 97402.