At 4:05 p.m. today, Vice President for Student Development Skip Trudeau announced to the Taylor community that Cindy McWhirt was found dead. McWhirt was a member of Taylor's dining staff. She often worked at the top of the DC, greeting students and scanning their ID cards as they went to meals.
According to Trudeau, McWhirt was found this afternoon in her home by her husband, who is also a Taylor University Dining Commons employee. "As far as I know, (her death) was unexpected," said Trudeau.
Jim Garringer, Taylor's director of media relations, said McWhirt worked this weekend at Taylor.
Garringer said McWhirt was always friendly and had a sweet disposition towards the Taylor students she served.
Last week, McWhirt wrote an opinions piece for The Echo. In it she encouraged students to fully rely on God. She said she enjoyed working concessions at Taylor's graduation because she got to see the students-her friends-mature throughout their years at Taylor.
"I feel so blessed to have been able to touch your lives, even in a small way," she wrote.
The Echo published a follow-up story on McWhirt on November 1. Read it here.
If you knew McWhirt or felt impacted by her life, please write to echo@taylor.edu. Look for the print edition on Friday for full coverage.
