Lindsay Dian Walters ’09 wore her Aggie ring proudly, whooped at home games, and loved to dress in maroon. She was the girl in accounting classes who was so beautiful and smart that classmates might have been too intimidated to speak to her, but whose warm smile and readiness to help others tackle challenging homework quickly put them at ease. Lindsay had a passion for A&M, for her friends, her family, and foremost, her faith in Christ.
On March 1, 2009, Lindsay was out with classmates after passing the first section of the CPA exam the day before. Lindsay was waiting for her turn at a pay station in a parking garage near campus when she was struck and killed by a speeding vehicle. She was 21 years old.
As a lasting tribute to the fallen Aggie, her parents, Lisa Walters ’79 and Charles Walters, have established the Lindsay Dian Walters ’09 Memorial Scholarship at Mays. To date, the fund has received donations of nearly $60,000 toward the goal of $100,000. Of the amount raised, more than $37,000 has come from Lindsay’s family and many friends and supporters; the remainder has been supplied by a match from Mays.
“Lindsay was the kind of young person that made everybody’s day better by being a part of it,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “She is loved and missed by her fellow classmates, our faculty, and all of those who had the privilege to know her. Our future students who are supported by her scholarship need not look far for a role model — Lindsay is that role model.”
“To say that Lindsay was a positive person is an understatement,” said her mother, Lisa, who describes Lindsay as one who unselfishly helped others, often volunteering to tutor her classmates; a dedicated student who never made a B; a cheerful spirit, who always had a kind word and a radiant smile for others. She was a member of the Christian Business Leaders, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Golden Key International Honor Society, and Phi Kappa Phi. She was awarded the 2009 Student Achievement Award by the Federation of Schools of Accountancy, and was weeks away from completing the Mays Professional Program in accounting—a five-year program she was set to accomplish in four. A job with KPMG in Dallas was waiting for her.
Through tears, Lisa spoke of how she missed her daughter, her best friend, her only child. In the midst of her grief, she says she is glad that others have been touched by the tribute of Lindsay’s life. Lindsay would be proud, humbled, and thankful that so many chose to honor her memory with a gift to Mays, says Lisa. To the students who will hold the scholarship in her name, Lisa says her daughter would want them to follow in her footsteps and be a light to others. “Lindsay blossomed at A&M. She was an Aggie through and through…She would say, “Carry the light.'”
If you would like to contribute to the Lindsay Dian Walters ’09 Memorial Scholarship fund, go to givenow.tamu.edu; choose “Mays Business School” from the first pull-down menu; then “College of Business Administration General Scholarships” in the second pull-down menu. In the “Special Instructions and Comments” box, type in “Lindsay Dian Walters ’09 Memorial Scholarship.”
Categories: Students