Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010
Tragedy strikes home
Miranda Wycoff, Journal Staff
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Thursday was surreal. I woke up to a text message from my boss about the train accident on Hamblen Road in Lee’s Summit. Luckily, our police reporter Emily was able to make it on the scene, and I say luckily, because I did not want to see a truck mangled by a train. I’ve always had a fear of driving over train tracks. Irrational, sure, but nonetheless I still get a cold chill every time I cross tracks.
Just hours after that awful wreck in Lee’s Summit, I learned tragedy struck in the other Missouri community I call home – St. James.
Many of you may not know where St. James is, or have even ever heard of it. But for me, it’s the town I grew up in.
The 4,500 people right off Interstate 44, 10 minutes from Rolla, don’t have a huge shopping center, or even a Wal-Mart. There are the basic fast food restaurants and of course the mom-and-pop restaurants. But you have to drive 15 minutes to even get to an Applebee’s.
There is one elementary school, one middle school and one high school – John F. Hodge.
Nonetheless, the schools are probably the one thing in St. James that holds the community together.
We’re all St. James Tigers and red and white is in our blood.
Seven years ago I put on my red and white cheerleading uniform every Friday night and headed, like the rest of the town, to the football field. Sure, the football team wasn’t great. Heck, they weren’t even good.
But when you’re a Tiger, that’s what you do. You cheer for your team. At half time I shucked my cheer uniform for something with a little more pizzazz (Read: sequins) and performed with the color guard of the Red Regiment marching band. And while band can sometimes be considered uncool in other communities, in St. James it was just another activity to show your school spirit. That’s what you do in St. James. You show your school spirit. And often times the band had the most school spirit of any group in school.
While any time a child dies, or school buses are mangled on the Interstate, it’s a tragedy. But to me, and the rest of the John F. Hodge graduates scattered across the United States, this tragedy hits home, literally. I did not know the female band student who passed away Thursday morning on that bus ride to St. Louis. But she could have easily been my mini-queen in the annual Grape and Fall Festival Queen Pageant or a child I babysat.
Jessica Brinker was 15 years old. She was on her way for a day of fun at Six Flags after a long, heat-filled week of band camp. She was ready to start what is usually an award-filled season for the Red Regiment. This will be a hard year for the St. James Tigers. The band may disheartened, or they may have one of their best years ever, deciding to win it all for Jessica. It’s hard to say, but one thing I know from first-hand experience growing up in that sleepy town on the other side of the state, is that the community will, and already has, rallied around the families, students and school affected by this terrible accident. Churches will hold services, clubs will have fundraisers and neighbors will be ready and willing with a consoling hug.
I’m proud of the small town I grew up in. As much as I love living in Lee’s Summit and becoming more and more a part of this great community, I will always and forever be a St. James Tiger.
Miranda Wycoff is a staff writer for the Journal. To respond to today’s commentary, call 816-282-7017 or e-mail mwycoff@bluespringsjournal.com
