| Graduation Year | Class of 2000 |
| Date of Passing | Dec 09, 2000 |
| About | http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2000/nov/10/coach_two_park/ From Lawrence Journal--World and News: Coach, two Park University soccer players killed (Traffic accident on icy stretch of Interstate-70 claims three lives) The Associated Press November 10, 2000 PARKVILLE, MO. — The coach and two players from the Park University women's soccer team were killed Thursday in a traffic accident while on their way to a postseason tournament. Two other players injured in the crash on an icy stretch of Interstate 70 near Concordia in Lafayette County were released from a Warrensburg hospital after treatment there, the university said. Killed in the crash about 11:30 a.m. were Jamie Hemingway, 29, of Parkville, who was in his third year as coach of the team; and players Melanie Meyer, 18, of Independence, and Cynthia Anderson, 18, of Grimes, Iowa. All three were pronounced dead at the scene by the acting Lafayette County coroner, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. Two other players riding in the sports utility vehicle driven by Hemingway were injured. They were Jennifer Miller, 20, of Independence, and Bridget Duhme, 18, of Kansas City. The team was heading for the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles for a semifinal NAIA regional playoff game with Lindenwood University. The patrol said the eastbound SUV was passing a tractor-trailer which crossed the center line, forcing it into the median. The vehicle then crossed into the westbound lane where it collided head-on with a pickup truck, overturned and struck a van, also head-on, the patrol said. The driver of the pickup, Tricia Gleason, 33, of Wichita was taken to Western Missouri Medical Center in Warrensburg with what the patrol described as moderate injuries. The hospital declined to provide any information. Other members of the soccer team returned to Parkville, a northern suburb of Kansas City, and President Donald Breckon spoke at a late afternoon memorial service in the university chapel. University spokeswoman Rita Wayhill said a decision would be made later on a formal memorial service. The soccer team, with a roster of 18 players, was seeded fourth in the tournament, and Lindenwood was seeded No. 1. |
