‘Changing students’ lives every day’: Butler instructor among victims of Wichita flight
Lindsey Fields, a beloved Butler Community College instructor and passionate science education advocate, was among the victims of American Airlines Flight 5342.
The college announced Fields’ death Friday after receiving confirmation from her family that she was a passenger on the flight from Wichita that collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River Wednesday, killing all 67 people in the two aircraft.
“With broken hearts we send our condolences to her family and friends, and the students, faculty and staff whom we know without a doubt were positively impacted by Lindsey’s energy and dedication to her craft,” Butler spokesperson Kelly Snedden said in a statement.
Fields, who recently became president-elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers, was on her way to Washington D.C. “to represent the NABT community and advocate for excellence in life science education,” the organization said in a Facebook post, calling Fields’ death a “tremendous loss.”
Snedden described Fields as “a colleague, friend, and educator who dedicated her wisdom and talents to changing students’ lives every day.”
“We owe her much gratitude for sharing her light with us and we will forever feel this loss.”
One former student posted a tribute to Fields on social media calling her “an amazing mentor and friend.”
“She encouraged me to reach for the stars and pushed me to take on challenges I never thought I could face . . . She is a huge reason I am where I am today,” the former student said.
After teaching at Ole Miss and Northwest Mississippi Community College, Fields joined BCCC full time in 2014 at the Rose Hill campus, later moving her office to the Andover campus and rising to chair of the biology department. She taught a variety of courses at Butler, including General Biology, Majors Biology 1 and 2, and Anatomy and Physiology, according to her faculty bio.
Fields attended Seward County Community College, graduating with an associates degree in pre-veterinary medicine before transferring to Oklahoma State, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in zoology. Her undergraduate research focused on positive reinforcement training with zoo animals — specifically big cats — and her graduate research examined water quality in Central Great Plains reservoirs.
Her bio lists a number of her interests outside the classroom, including cooking, reading, hiking, fishing, and spending time with her family and Great Danes.
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for a scholarship fund named after Fields. It would “empower future scientists to pursue their dreams, just as Lindsey inspired us all to chase ours,” the GoFundMe reads.
Butler observed a moment of silence across all of its campuses at 9:45 a.m. Monday to honor Fields and the other victims of Flight 5342, the deadliest crash involving a commercial plane in the U.S. since 2001.
Free counseling services are available to students, staff and faculty members, who are encouraged to contact Nancy Hamm at 316-322-3162 or email nhamm2@butlercc.edu.
This story was originally published February 1, 2025 at 3:43 PM.
