Accident takes employee’s life
JMU administrative assistant was ‘caring, compassionate person’
Posted on February 21, 2008
A longtime JMU employee was killed in a car accident in Dayton on Monday afternoon.
Larue Simmons of Harrisonburg, 59, was killed when another car hit her broadside as she left the parking lot of a hair salon on John Wayland Highway at Eberly Road about 3:40 p.m.
According to First Sgt. Bryan Hutcheson of the Virginia State Police, Tehemon Vakin of Bridgewater, 83, ran a red light on Route 42 and struck the driver side of Simmons’ car. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident occurred near Hair Corral, said Chief D.L. Conley of the Dayton Police Department.
Hair Corral is located about two miles south of the Super Wal-Mart on Route 42.
Vakin was taken to Rockingham Memorial Hospital and later released.
He has been charged with reckless driving, Hutcheson said.
Simmons had been employed by JMU since 1987 in a variety of positions. Most recently she was administrative assistant for Jim McConnel, associate vice president for Student Affairs and University Planning.
“She was just a real caring, compassionate person,” McConnel said. “Like most administrative assistants, they kind of do everything… they really hold things together.”
Larue attended Shenandoah Junior College in Winchester in 1966 and 1967. Before working at JMU she held a number of jobs for area businesses, mostly in secretarial roles.
In August 1987 she began a temporary position in the Office of Minority Student Life, which turned into a full-time position as secretary in October 1988.
Simmons became the office manager when Zeb Davenport became the director of Multicultural/International Student Services, which later became the Center for Multicultural Student Services.
Davenport later became AVP-Student Life and Simmons became his administrative assistant. When he left the university and was replaced by McConnel more than a year ago, Simmons retained her position.
In a letter sent to colleagues by Mark Warner, senior vice president for Student Affairs and University Planning, he said that Larue had recently reached two milestones in her life: earning a bachelor’s degree and becoming a grandmother.
“Of these two life events, she was most proud of being a grandmother,” he said.
According to McConnel, she had spent the weekend out of town visiting her daughter and grandson, who was born in November. She took the day off on Monday.
McConnel said that when the accident occurred she was possibly leaving Curves, where she exercises, since Curves is located next to Hair Corral.
“The number of phone calls and e-mails I’ve gotten today from people everywhere – faculty, staff, students – really are testimony to how special she was and how many lives she touched,” McConnel said.
The family will receive guests from 7-8 p.m. on Thursday at Kyger Funeral Home.
Burial services will be held at noon on Friday at the Eastlawn Cemetery Mausoleum.
Those wishing to contribute are encouraged to send gifts to either The American Cancer Society or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
