Northwest Establishes Alice Hammersmith Endowment

Alice Hammersmith was riding her motorcycle home from work on a dark night in August 2004 when a drunk driver struck her bike and caused her to lose her left leg. Instead of letting that accident define her life, she has used it to bring good to others.

For the past nine years, Hammersmith has spoken to first time DUI offenders at the monthly Victim Impact Panel (VIP) in DeSoto County. The panel is sponsored by DeSoto County’s DETER, an organization whose mission is to educate the public about the consequences of DUI. To thank Hammersmith, DETER has donated $10,500 to the Northwest Mississippi Community College Foundation for the establishment of the Alice Hammersmith Endowment.
The New York native’s father was in the military. The family first moved to Columbus, Mississippi and then settled in Southaven. Hammersmith attended Southaven High School and then got married. She and her first husband, who was also in the military, lived in New Jersey for 14 years before returning to Southaven. They opened Boomer’s, a small restaurant in Horn Lake. She was divorced and remarried Terry Hammersmith. He took her for a couple of rides on his motorcycle and she decided she would rather ride herself.
“I was 47 years old before I ever rode a motorcycle. My husband had given me a new bike shortly before the accident, and I had put 17,000 miles on it. If it wasn’t raining, I was riding,” Hammersmith said. Hammersmith was following her husband home the night of the accident, when a 72-year-old man ran her husband off the road and hit her, causing her to lose her left leg below the knee. “It was a hit and run. It took them six months to find him,” Hammersmith said.
Hammersmith says she realized that the driver was a sick man with a lot of problems, so she tried to keep him from having to go to prison. “I met with the prosecutor and asked them to give him house arrest because of his age, but he wanted a trial. We went to trial, and he was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The judge reduced it to six years,” Hammersmith said.
After the driver had been in prison for about two years, Hammersmith received a call that he was not doing well. She immediately started the process to get him out of prison, but before they could complete the process, the man passed away. Hammersmith said that she had written him a letter expressing her forgiveness to him, but he never responded to her. “For two years, I was mad at the world. Then someone invited us to ‘Bikers Sunday’ at a local church. One of the things the preacher said was that if you were not willing to forgive others, God couldn’t forgive you,” Hammersmith said. She said it took her a couple of more visits to church to decide that she should forgive the man. “My life changed after I forgave him,” she said.
One of the things Hammersmith remembers most about her accident was the wonderful care she received from the first responders in Tate County. One of the responders, Garrett Glaser, was someone she knew before, since he delivered propane to her home. “I didn’t open my eyes, but I recognized his voice. He kept me calm and helped me so much,” Hammersmith said. She has stayed in contact with him throughout the years, even calling him on the 10th anniversary of the accident.
Hammersmith’s life is very full these days. She still works at her restaurant, which is now in its 28th year. She enjoys quilting and spending time with her three children, three stepchildren and her 27 grandchildren. She is looking forward to the birth of her first great grandchild next month. “I had a good family support system through the bad times. My husband was great and has stood by me throughout it all,” Hammersmith said.
She does not ride her bike anymore, however. “I rode for eight years after my accident, and one day I was riding to Boomer’s to work. All the way to work, every time I saw a car, I was afraid it was going to hit me,” Hammersmith said. She still rides with her husband, but won’t ride alone.
Hammersmith’s philosophy is simple. “I figure you’ve got two choices. You can sit down and feel sorry for yourself or you can put your leg on and go. I put my leg on and go,” Hammersmith said.
The scholarship will be awarded to students who are enrolled in the EMT-Paramedic program at Northwest, because Hammersmith believes that Glaser, a volunteer paramedic, saved her life. “I think it is awesome that DETER is doing this,” Hammersmith said.
“We are extremely grateful that DETER established an endowed scholarship at Northwest to honor Alice Hammersmith. She is turning her tragedy to triumph as she bravely stands and tells her story to those who have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. This is the second time that DETER has honored volunteers who are doing their part to try and stop these tragedies from occurring. We are honored to provide a lasting legacy for Alice Hammersmith, for Ethan Eric Bayless and for all those associated with this wonderful organization,” said Sybil Canon, associate vice president of development and special projects.
For more information about the Northwest Foundation, contact Canon at 662-560-1103 or e-mail srcanon@northwestms.edu.