NATCHEZ &045; A 20-year old Alcorn State University honor student and athlete died Thursday night in a two-vehicle accident just outside the gates of the Lorman campus on Highway 552.

Terlyn Pulliam of Memphis was ejected from the back seat of the 1985 Oldsmobile in which she was a passenger when the car collided with a 2001 Chevrolet driven by Roosevelt Williams Jr., 19, of Grenada, who was not injured.

Pulliam was pronounced dead at the scene, said Sgt. James Walker, public affairs officer for Highway Safety Patrol District One.

&uot;We got the call at 11:23 p.m.,&uot; Walker said by telephone from his office in Jackson. Accident reports indicate Pulliam was not wearing a seat belt, he said.

Herman Williamson, Pulliam’s track coach, called her a great athlete, &uot;one of our finest, very high-spirited and talented. She was a sweet and kind young lady. She had a heart of gold.&uot;

The driver of the Oldsmobile, Kaila Birgil, 22, of Columbia was not injured.

The front-seat passenger, Ladonna Smith, no age available, of Fayette, was taken to a nearby hospital, treated and released, Walker said.

The car driven by Williamson hit the Oldsmobile, &uot;went up the road a little piece and struck a white SUV,&uot; Walker said.

The accident is still under investigation, and &uot;we won’t know until Monday whether charges will be filed,&uot; Walker said.

Friday was a somber day at the university, said Christopher Cason, public affairs spokesman for Alcorn.

&uot;Typically, Friday is a very upbeat day on campus; it seems people are moving in slow motion today,&uot; Cason said.

Students organized a chapel memorial service for Pulliam Friday morning, he said. &uot;She was very, very popular.&uot;

Pulliam was a junior mass communications major and a talented athlete, Cason said. She maintained a 3.13 grade-point average out of a possible 4. A member of the track team, she attended Alcorn on an athletic scholarship.

Fallon Davis, a bowling and tennis athlete, came to know Pulliam through mass communications classes they shared. &uot;We had a final today in a class she would have been in,&uot; Davis said. &uot;We had a moment of silence for her. She was a really nice girl, high spirited and outgoing.&uot;

Davis said Pulliam talked about getting married to her boyfriend, also an Alcorn student.

Meanwhile, Cason said grief counselors have been made available to students who request them. And plans are under way to send Alcorn students to Memphis for services.

&uot;The president has talked with the family, and he will make a bus available for the entire track team to go to the funeral services in Memphis if they choose,&uot; Cason said, referring to ASU President Clinton Bristow.

Last year at a Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC), Pulliam &uot;did very well in hurdles running and in the hepathlon. She was a good long jumper. She ran cross country. She did it all,&uot; Williamson said.

He will remember Pulliam for her compassion and sweetness. &uot;She cared about everyone, here and around the world,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s sad that tragedy hits people like that.&uot;