Friends:
Today, our campus mourns the passing of Hannah Reynolds, who became ill Thursday evening and passed away while receiving treatment at a local hospital. Hannah was an Equine Management major from Sikeston, Missouri, and she worked in the Equine Center as a student worker. The students and faculty/staff members in the equine program are a tight-knit community and I grieve Hannah’s passing along with them. Beth and I continue to keep her family and friends in our prayers today and in the challenging days to come. Hannah loved Arkansas State University and we will miss her laugh and her passion for all things A-State – especially our equine program. She was the president of the Equine Club, and her fellow students told me that she had been singularly responsible for its growth and vitality.
I am thankful for the quick responses by Hannah’s classmates, instructors, and UPD Officer Billy Branch, whose heroic efforts gave Hannah the best possible chance of surviving when she arrived at the hospital. I am also grateful for the medical team at the NEA Baptist Hospital who served Hannah so well last night. I appreciate the A-State Counseling Center staff, Associate Dean Bud Kennedy, and Vice Chancellor Len Frey, each of whom met with Hannah’s Equine Center family last night and again this morning.
Staff members of the Counseling Center are available to those that need assistance as we grieve her death. They are located in Room 2203 of the Reng Student Union or at 870-972-2318. All of us experience tragedy differently, but it is vital that we remember that we are not alone in times like these.
Please remember Hannah’s family in this difficult time.
Kelly