Update: A wake and celebration of life for Shalynda Toney will be held Monday evening, October 19, at High Street Baptist Church., located at 2302 Florida Avenue, NW, in Roanoke. Burial will be Tuesday at noon. Hollins’ campus memorial service will take place Wednesday, October 21 at 4:30 p.m. in duPont Chapel.


Hollins University senior Shalynda Toney of Vinton passed away Sunday as the result of injuries suffered when she was struck by a motorcyclist Thursday in Rome, Italy. She was 21.

Toney was studying abroad in Rome through a program sponsored by Arcadia University. A business major, she was scheduled to graduate from Hollins in the spring of 2010.

On Sunday afternoon, Hollins President Nancy Gray sent the following statement to students, faculty and staff:

To the Campus Community:

I am deeply saddened to report that Shalynda Toney '10 has passed away. Shalynda, who was studying abroad this semester in Rome through Arcadia University, was struck by a motorcyclist on Thursday and rushed to San Camillo Hospital, where she was subsequently declared brain dead as a result of the numerous severe injuries she received. The physicians who cared for her have assured us that she did not suffer. With the blessing of her parents, and in keeping with her generous, compassionate spirit, Shalynda’s organs were donated to save others.

Since early Saturday morning, the Rev. Jan Fuller, our university chaplain, has been at the hospital, providing comfort to Shalynda’s family and to the other students who are taking part in Arcadia’s Rome program. Jan told me that Shalynda was having “the time of her life” in Rome, so we can take some solace in knowing her final days before this tragedy were joyful. I want to thank Resident Director Tina Rocchio and her staff at Arcadia’s College of Global Studies at Accademia Italia for making Shalynda’s experience in Rome so special. They have also been tireless and resourceful in their support of the Toney family throughout this ordeal. I am proud of our affiliation with this outstanding program.

We extend our deepest condolences to Shalynda’s loved ones; please continue to remember them in your thoughts and prayers as they begin the long path to healing. At the same time, all of us at Hollins must seek out one another for support as we ourselves cope with this devastating loss. If you would like help in processing what has happened, members of the Hollins administration and I will be available in the Green Drawing Room Sunday night from 9 – 10 p.m. I encourage you to come by. In the coming days, please contact your RA, the Office of the Dean of Students, or our Health and Counseling Center if you need someone to talk to.

Arrangements for a celebration of Shalynda's life are pending, and we will share that information once it becomes available. Here on campus, a prayer vigil is planned for Monday night and we will e-mail you with the details once they are confirmed. In addition, a memorial service is tentatively scheduled for Monday, October 19 in duPont Chapel. More information will be forthcoming. In the meantime, let us keep Shalynda close to our hearts and cherish a life that ended far too soon.

Nancy Gray
President