Junior mechanical engineering major Sarah Lanton, a transfer student from Harrisburg, Ill., was killed in a car accident while returning to Starkville after fall break Oct. 7. The accident occurred on Interstate 55 near West Memphis, Ark.
Family and friends remember Lanton as a “ray of sunshine” with a consummate smile and a contagious happy spirit.
“Her smile was so radiant and her spirit,” Maurice Allen, a close friend of Lanton, said. “She was just 20, but she was an old soul. She was like everyone’s mother.”
After a visit to MSU, Lanton fell in love with the campus and decided to attend. This semester was Lanton’s first at MSU, but she had ties to the school going back to her hometown. While attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Lanton was a manager for the SIC women’s basketball team and forged a friendship with coaches Greg Franklin and Franqua Bedell who now both coach the MSU women’s basketball team. Those close to Lanton said she was known as a cheerful and supportive part of the team.In addition to athletics, Lanton was an avid writer, music fan and was devoted to her faith.
“She was really passionate about the church and God. Her faith was her rock,” Allen said. “She was very passionate about younger kids and was a very good role model.”
According to friends, jazz by Kurt Elling and writing poetry were some favorite pursuits. Lanton’s interests uniquely defined who she was acoring to her sister, Allecia Lanton.
“Her passions definitely expressed herself through her writing and music,” Allecia Lanton said.
For friends remembering her, Lanton’s mark on them is indelible. Her smile was her biggest asset, only to be outshone by her endeering personality and care for others.
“Her voice was soothing. It was like she was singing to you when she was talking,” Allen said. “I have to smile more because she smiled all the time.”
Lanton’s friends represented different people from all walks of life, but she treated all with respect. From her life, those closest to her remember her for who she was – a bright girl with a beaming smile and a direction for her life.
“She really wanted to succeed,” Allecia Lanton said. “From her we can learn to know yourself and know who you are and by that she lives on.”
Mechanical engineering undergraduate coordinator Chris Emplaincourt said Lanton’s professors remember her as an exceptional student with a promising future.
“She was taking two mechanical engineering classes this fall. Both professors said she was doing an outstanding job and turning in exceptional work,” Emplaincourt said. “She transferred here with excellent grades and she had a great future as a mechanical engineer.”