Letter: Teen shares loss over tragic death

Friday, Aug. 9, 2002 | 4:48 a.m.

I am 18 years old, fresh out of high school, and sit devastated, pounding away at the faded letters upon plastic keys. Sandra "Sandy" Thompson was not only a role model, she was my mentor. As a freshman in high school, I became involved with the Explorer Program. That was the first time I met Mrs. Thompson.

Sandy was a dear friend of mine, and she illuminated me with her passion for journalism. I considered her then, and even still to this moment, a woman who altered the status quo of journalism and exposed the injustices of society with each striking composition. Even if one did not know her, Sandy's words and demeanor made a crucial impact. She was someone that I aspired to be, and in those moments of doubt and darkness, she comforted me.

As tears fall from my eyes, I reminisce upon the times that I spent with Sandy. You never truly realize what you've lost until it's gone, and Las Vegas will forever ache in its unethical soul for this tragedy that was so unnecessary.

I cry not only for myself, but for those who were fortunate enough to meet such a strong-willed woman. So few care of the sufferings of others, and so few actually report with the intention of aiding in humanitarian causes.

Some of Sandy's happiest moments were with her family and watching her daughter graduate from college. Her spirit will live within the innocence of the children that struggle daily, the battles she fought, the husband she adored and people she loved; and, of course, the daughter that made her life complete.

PATTY L. WALSH