METAIRIE, La.– A recent Dillard University graduate was killed Wednesday night in a fatal car crash involving a dump truck and a hearse on Airline Highway in Metairie, La.
Melrita Dillard-Spencer was a recent Dillard graduate in the class of 2015 and the former Student Government Association Chaplain (2014-2015). Dillard-Spencer was also a member of the VisionQuest Chorale and Dillard University Concert Choir. She was an organist at New Macedonia Baptist Church in Metairie.
According to an article on Nola.com, Dillard-Spencer was a passenger in the hearse. The driver, whose name and condition has not yet been released, was taken to Ochsner Medical Center.
The driver’s sister Rosemary Wordlaw said the three of them were at Bible study when her brother received a call to pick up a body.
University President Dr. Walter Kimbrough sent an email Thursday morning to all faculty and staff informing them on Spencer-Dillard’s passing. University Chaplain Reverend Earnest Salsberry and the student body of Dillard University held a moment of prayer and reflection in Lawless Memorial Chapel at 12 noon.
“I am thankful though that we began contacting each other within an hour of the accident, as I heard from staff members and members of her graduating class,” said Kimbrough.
Tevon Blair, a sophomore majoring in mass communication from Chicago, wrote, “You were our Dillard Angel and a true spirit of God. Your Dillard family loves you and you will forever be in our hearts.”
Dillard-Spencer’s social media continues to flood with condolences and prayers from friends, family and peers.
