{"id":32169,"date":"2025-12-06T19:02:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T00:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?p=32169"},"modified":"2025-12-06T19:11:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T00:11:28","slug":"tusculum-university-to-hold-memorial-service-for-student-who-passed-away-in-car-accident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/alumni-news\/2025\/tusculum-university-to-hold-memorial-service-for-student-who-passed-away-in-car-accident\/","title":{"rendered":"Tusculum University to hold memorial service for student who passed away in car accident"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 Tusculum University<\/a> will hold a memorial service Monday, Dec. 8, at 5 p.m. to celebrate the life of a student and mourn his passing away in a car accident.\"Payton<\/h3>\n

The service in memory of Payton Cook, a 19-year-old freshman who died Friday, Dec. 5, will be held in Pioneer Arena. The Rev. E.J. Swatsell, director of spiritual life<\/a> and special projects will lead the service, which is still in the planning stages. The community is invited to attend.<\/p>\n

\u201cPayton\u2019s passing has impacted his family immensely, and it has left a big hole in the hearts of everyone at Tusculum,\u201d said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum\u2019s president. \u201cOur desire is for this service to provide a measure of comfort to his family and to help our students, faculty and staff cope with this loss of life. Having the community join us for this service will be extremely meaningful. This has been devastating for all of us, but we find encouragement in Psalm 46:1 \u2013 \u2018God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Cook, a business administration<\/a> major and men\u2019s lacrosse<\/a> team member, came to Tusculum from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. Mike Brisbin, the men\u2019s lacrosse coach, described Cook as a gentle giant \u2013 a good, genuine individual who was always smiling. He said everyone loved to be around this student. Cook enjoyed being outdoors, whether it was fishing with his fellow lacrosse players at Tusculum or hiking. Cook also collected Pok\u00e9mon cards.<\/p>\n

He passed away Friday in a car accident on Old Tusculum Road. Four other students were injured and are in various stages of recovery. None of the injuries is considered life-threatening.<\/p>\n

Several Tusculum leaders and staff members responded to the scene and to the hospital to provide support to the surviving members of the accident and speak with their family members. Dr. Hummel and Swatsell have spoken with Cook\u2019s family as well.<\/p>\n

The Office of Student Affairs<\/a> and the Human Resources Department<\/a> have mobilized to help students, faculty and staff process their emotions in the aftermath of the accident. Counseling services are available to all Tusculum family members.<\/p>\n

Tusculum remembered Cook with a moment of silence at the start of the men\u2019s basketball<\/a> game Saturday, Dec. 6, and will repeat the measure at the beginning of the women\u2019s basketball<\/a> game Wednesday, Dec. 10. The Tusculum University Community Chorus will also hold a moment of silence at its concert Monday, Dec. 8, in Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center.<\/p>\n

Tusculum will still hold final exams starting Dec. 8 but will make accommodations for those directly affected by the accident. The university has canceled the President\u2019s Midnight Breakfast, which was scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 7.<\/p>\n

Out of respect for the privacy of Cook\u2019s family and all individuals involved in the accident, Tusculum encourages people to avoid speculative posts on social media or other avenues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are extremely grateful for all of the kind social media posts and other outreach we have received since the accident,\u201d Dr. Hummel said. \u201cTusculum is proud to be part of the broader community and values our relationship with so many individuals, organizations and businesses. In times like this, that connection is particularly helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 Tusculum University<\/a> will hold a memorial service Monday, Dec. 8, at 5 p.m. to celebrate the life of a student and mourn his passing away in a car accident.\"Payton<\/h3>\n

The service in memory of Payton Cook, a 19-year-old freshman who died Friday, Dec. 5, will be held in Pioneer Arena. The Rev. E.J. Swatsell, director of spiritual life<\/a> and special projects will lead the service, which is still in the planning stages. The community is invited to attend.<\/p>\n

\u201cPayton\u2019s passing has impacted his family immensely, and it has left a big hole in the hearts of everyone at Tusculum,\u201d said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum\u2019s president. \u201cOur desire is for this service to provide a measure of comfort to his family and to help our students, faculty and staff cope with this loss of life. Having the community join us for this service will be extremely meaningful. This has been devastating for all of us, but we find encouragement in Psalm 46:1 \u2013 \u2018God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[131,91,7,19,142,169,146,1,6,148,147,149,172],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTusculum University to hold memorial service for student who passed away in car accident :: Tusculum University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/alumni-news\/2025\/tusculum-university-to-hold-memorial-service-for-student-who-passed-away-in-car-accident\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tusculum University to hold memorial service for student who passed away in car accident :: Tusculum University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GREENEVILLE \u2013 Tusculum University will hold a memorial service Monday, Dec. 8, at 5 p.m. to celebrate the life of a student and mourn his passing away in a car accident. The service in memory of Payton Cook, a 19-year-old freshman who died Friday, Dec. 5, will be held in Pioneer Arena. The Rev. E.J. Swatsell, director of spiritual life and special projects will lead the service, which is still in the planning stages. The community is invited to attend. \u201cPayton\u2019s passing has impacted his family immensely, and it has left a big hole in the hearts of everyone at Tusculum,\u201d said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum\u2019s president. \u201cOur desire is for this service to provide a measure of comfort to his family and to help our students, faculty and staff cope with this loss of life. Having the community join us for this service will be extremely meaningful. This has been devastating for all of us, but we find encouragement in Psalm 46:1 \u2013 \u2018God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.\u2019\u201d Read the full article...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/alumni-news\/2025\/tusculum-university-to-hold-memorial-service-for-student-who-passed-away-in-car-accident\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY NEWS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-07T00:02:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-07T00:11:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Payton-Cook-300x282.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jim Wozniak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jim Wozniak\" 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