Fields passes away, leaves legacy

Lindsey Carter Fields, a professor of biology, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Carter was on Flight 5342, which departed from the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport to Washington D.C. The Liberal, Kansas, native left many memories for friends, family and the Butler community, leaving a legacy. 

She was traveling to represent the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) community and advocate for excellence in life science education.  

Melissa J. Elliott, an associate professor of biology, was on Fields’ hiring committee. Fields and Elliott worked together for a short time at the Early College Academy before Fields took the lead position on the Andover campus. For Elliott, this has been an extraordinary loss. 

“For me, I have lost a mentor, colleague, but most of all I have lost a good friend,” Elliott said. “My life has forever been changed. The community has lost someone who united us all. The outpouring of support has been unbelievable. Messages from students, faculty, vendors, other colleges and universities here in Kansas and across the country show the impact Lindsey had. She touched everyone with whom she came in contact. She is a light that will always shine brightly in the hearts of so many.” 

Susan L. Forrest, a professor of biology, described that Fields as always smiling, even when she was frustrated with some situation. She had a passion for her teaching and wanted the best for her students, but Fields held others to a higher standard.  

“We are all having a difficult time dealing with the loss,” Forrest said. “It comes up at random times of the day when we think – ‘I need to ask Lindsey about this,’ but we can't. We have covered her classes. Some instructors are taking on some of her classes, but it won't be the same. Lindsey was a one-of-a-kind teacher, but she would want us to do our best for our students and for hers. So going forward, we will follow her lead, teaching with excellence and passion.” 

Joseph J. LaForge, assistant professor of biology, was one of her students. He entered her general biology class in 2016 as an English major. However, after being in her class she knew that he wanted to be a biologist. LaForge would not be in the seat he is in, the office he is in, the position he is in without Fields’s influence on his life and career decisions. She made her class so intriguing that he switched his whole path to follow what she did. 

“It's a tremendous loss,” LaForge said. “For me, it feels like we lost a piece of what made our community so special. For the students, it's been a heartbreak. Our community has done nothing but outpour their love and express their memories, which shows just how deeply she was valued.”  

LaForge will remember Fields as the reason why he chose to go into teaching. 

“Lindsey was like a phoenix,” LaForge added. “Phoenix are this magical creature that springs forth in magnificence once every 10,000 years. Lindsey was a once every 10,000 person. We won't see anyone like Lindsey again in our lifetimes, nor for a very long time to come. I am so thankful to have known her both as a student, a colleague, and a friend.” 

When Fields stepped into the role as lead instructor in Andover, Elliot felt she left a hole that couldn’t be filled. 

“I was privileged to take her spot as the A&P instructor,” Elliot said. “In talking with her about this position, I made the comment that I had big shoes to fill. She chuckled and said, ‘Melissa, don't fill my shoes, make your own footprint! The students love you here. I don't know of any faculty that won Instructor of the Year their first semester at the academy. You're going to be fine.  Make this place your own.’”  

“Most of her Anatomy & Physiology students were heading into nursing, but some of her students in her biology class decided on a career in biology because of her influence. She was a mentor for so many of her students and they will remember her for a lifetime,” Elliott said. 

point she began teaching or was a teaching assistant and she realized that she loved teaching.   

To those who knew Fields, she wore many hats; among them, NABT president, researcher, dog owner and volunteer. 

Kerry L. Fahnestock, a professor of biology, said that Fields was absolutely in love with her family. She'd come in nearly every day with a new story about Mike (her husband) or Avery (her daughter), often involving both of them. 

“She was just so full of joy,” Fahnestock said. “She was also the steady rock that we all went to when an issue arose. If you had a need, she would make sure that your needs were met. Oftentimes, we would just mention ideas of how to make things better, and the materials to fulfill those would just magically appear in the lab. I miss her laugh so very much.”  

 A scholarship fund, which was established by the Fields’s family, has been named in her honor. This scholarship will help students reach their goals to complete their degree in science. The goal is to reach $100,000. To contribute to the scholarship go to the GoFundMe webpage https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-future-scientists-in-memory-of-lindsey-fields   

Fields is among one of the 67 people lost during the crash. Many have left her flowers, decorations on her office door on the Andover campus. Fields was laid to rest on Saturday, Feb. 22.