Single-car accident injuries lead to death of sophomore

Chris Giguere / photo contribution Ian Kincheloe

A JMU student died after being in a car accident Nov. 19 while traveling home for Thanksgiving Break, according to Fred Hilton, director of University Communications.

Sophomore Ian Kincheloe, 20, of Mountain Top, Pa., sustained severe head trauma in a single-car accident on Interstate 81 North in West Virginia, according to his friend, sophomore Chris Giguere. Kinchloe was a passenger in the vehicle. The driver was unknown at press time. Kincheloe was flown to a hospital in Hagerstown, Md. where he died, according to Giguere.

Martinsburg, W.Va. Sgt. D.D. Forman said the investigation has yet to file the incident.

Sophomore Sarah Lapierre said she will remember Kincheloe for his passionate opposition to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank because they allegedly take advantage of third world nations.

Kincheloe, a biology major and Honors student, was the secretary of Beta Beta Beta, the biology honor society. Associate professor of biology Jon Monroe was the faculty advisor for Tri-Beta and taught Kincheloe in an honors section of Cell Biology this semester. "Ian was a model student," Monroe said. "He was always in class and lab and was always focused on the task at hand. He didn't ask very many questions, but this was probably because he picked up concepts so quickly. Just prior to leaving town for the Thanksgiving break Ian turned in a draft of a laboratory paper he had been working on titled ‘Transfer and Localization of the Kanamycin Resistance Gene in the pKan Plasmid Using Restriction Enzymes and the pBAG Plasmid.' Like all of his other work, Ian clearly spent a lot of time on this paper and thoroughly understood what he was doing in the experiments. We have a lot of bright, motivated students in biology but Ian really stood out as a student leader with tremendous potential. We will all miss Ian very much."

Kincheloe did research this semester for assistant professor of biology Jim Herrick. "Ian began doing research in my lab in September," Herrick said. "He was very excited about doing research and was excellent at it. I was very confident that he would be one of the best I had ever had — and that is no exaggeration — The other students in the lab were constantly amazed at how quickly he picked up concepts and techniques and at how diligent and responsible he was. His research was on the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes to and among bacteria in the environment, particularly in local streams impacted by the agricultural use of antibiotics. The day he died, he had been preparing for an experiment to detect regions of DNA known as ‘integrons' in strains of E. coli that had been isolated from local streams. Integrons are fascinating because over time they can collect different types of antibiotic resistance genes from other bacteria.

"Ian was not only a great student, he was a wonderful guy: clever, humorous, extremely intelligent, very mature and focused. This world is a much poorer place for losing Ian."

Head of the biology department Murray Nabors said, "The (biology department) students and faculty are very saddened by his death, and he will be sorely missed."

Several of Kincheloe's friends, including Giguere, sent the following letter to The Breeze: "Our friend, Ian Michael Kincheloe, died Monday, Nov. 19, 2001 in Hagerstown, Md. on his way home for Thanksgiving Break. The accident involved only their vehicle, and seems to be utterly random. There was no use of alcohol or drugs, and speeding does not appear to be a factor.

"In addition to a mother, father and two younger brothers surviving Ian, he leaves behind a girlfriend and many friends. Ian was secretary of Tri-Beta, and prior to the accident was researching for a faculty member in the biology department. He had been living in Wayland Hall with three other friends from freshman year. Services were held Friday and Saturday in Mountain Top, Pa. Many of us attended.

"He was a friend, a scholar, a moral person and all around a great guy. Ian was someone to look up to and someone to confide in. We will miss him every day and will have him as a constant reminder of how precious and fragile life really is. Rest in peace, friend."