In Solemn Remembrance: Mourning those lost on Flight 5342
By RICHARD MUMA | PRESIDENT, WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY
“It sadly hit too close to home as we learned about those with ties to WSU who were on the flight to Washington, D.C.”
The crash of American Airlines 5342 has had a devastating and profound effect on many people and communities around the world. Here in Wichita – and at Wichita State University – it sadly hit too close to home as we learned about individuals with ties to WSU who were on the flight to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29. We mourn their loss, along with those from Wichita and all involved in this tragic crash.
Kiah Duggins ’17 was a graduate of both the Barton School of Business and the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A recipient of the Clay Barton Scholarship, she co-founded the Shocker Support Locker and had an unwavering commitment to building more equitable communities. After graduating from WSU, she went on to graduate from Harvard Law School and became an accomplished civil rights attorney. She was preparing to become a law professor at Howard University.
Lori (Girard) Schrock ’90 studied accounting, linguistics and English at Wichita State on her way to earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. In 1998, she married Robert Schrock. Together, they embodied the entrepreneurial spirit of Shocker Nation as president and vice president of Premium Grain in Kiowa, Kansas, where they were recognized for their innovative farming practices.
Grace Maxwell took classes at WSU Tech while she was in high school. She had been flying back to Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, after attending her grandfather’s funeral here in Wichita. While she hadn’t been with WSU for long, we consider all our students, both current and former, as members of our Shocker family, and we mourn her loss alongside Cedarville University.
Lindsey (Carter) Fields was a member of WSU’s former Biomedical Engineering Department Advisory Board. A professor and department chair of biology at Butler Community College, she was making the trip to Washington, D.C., as the president-elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers.
Christopher Collins and Melissa Nicandri were colleagues at Moody’s Investors Service in New York City. On the day of the crash, I – along with several university officials – had the pleasure of spending the day with them as part of WSU’s regular credit rating update. Chris has worked on the university’s credit rating for several years. Both were kind, accomplished people with bright futures ahead of them. Their sudden loss is truly hard to comprehend.
Brian Ellis worked at Deloitte and was visiting the Deloitte Smart Factory @ Wichita on our Innovation Campus. He made frequent trips to Wichita and became part of the Wichita community. He was traveling with a colleague from Deloitte. Our innovation partner Dassault Systèmes also had a valued employee in town that day visiting our National Institute for Aviation Research. Because neither of these individuals has been publicly identified, I am keeping their names private, but our WSU community joins in mourning these exceptional people.
As we reflect on this aviation tragedy, our hearts are with the families, friends and colleagues of all 67 people who were lost. In solemn remembrance, we mourn together as Shockers.
Outbound from Wichita, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army helicopter on Jan. 29 in Washington, D.C. Wichita has mourned other aviation tragedies, including the Oct. 2, 1970, WSU football plane crash in Colorado and the Jan. 16, 1965, crash of a KC-135 at 20th Street and Piatt in northeast Wichita, not far from Wichita State’s main campus.
