Phelps gave his life helping others

There are no answers to the question, why do bad things happen to good people? Good people such as Donnell Marcus Phelps, the Fort Valley State University freshman who was stabbed to death trying to aid fellow students near the university cafeteria. The assailant, according to the GBI, Joseph Anthony Scott, lived near campus and was a former FVSU student. Scott also, for no apparent reason, as he was fleeing campus after the initial attack, stabbed Ernest Johnson, one of the school’s public safety officers. Fortunately, Johnson is expected to recover.

No one knows what was going through the alleged killer’s mind. We can, however, decipher what Phelp’s was thinking shortly before his death. In this age where we think of youthful minds as being unconcerned and noncommittal, Phelps did not fit that stereotype. He wasn’t thinking about his upcoming finals. The thought probably didn’t occur to him that he didn’t have time to interfere with whatever this apparent stranger was trying to do on campus. He obviously wasn’t thinking about his own safety. Rather, he was trying to protect his fellow students from harm. In his sacrifice he embodied the kind of spirit all universities would like to see in their students, and the FVSU community that extends far beyond the boundaries of the campus are in mourning because of the loss of a fine young man.

Though it does nothing to salve the grief his family, friends and classmates are feeling during this time of loss, knowing that he gave his life unselfishly trying to protect others should sooth some of the pain.

Though his time at FVSU was short, Phelps will always be remembered — at the school and in the community — as someone who gave his all for the sake of others.

This story was originally published May 5, 2016 at 9:30 PM with the headline "Phelps gave his life helping others."