Pay It Forward: Family Tragedy Spurs Acts Of Kindness

This article about Carroll graduate Alyson Ledet is reprinted with permission from the battalion, Texas A&M’s online college newspaper.

Photo of Alyson Ledet by Jenna Rabel, Texas A&M

Last year, a fatal plane crash irrevocably changed the lives of one Aggie family. On the anniversary of the death of her father, brothers and uncle, Alyson Ledet is using her story to change the lives of those around her.
Alyson, senior biomedical sciences major, lost her father Leonard “Len” Ledet, her two younger brothers Paul and Mason and her uncle, Gregory, when Len’s small plane crashed on the way to last season’s A&M and Ole Miss game.

“The day that I lost my father, brothers and uncle in the plane crash marks such a huge event in my life,” Alyson said. “That day to me now represents a reason to give back and to do good for people around me, a day to pay it forward.”
She has spent this week engaging in acts of kindness andencouraging others to do so by passing out cards printed with “Pay It Forward: In loving memory of Greg, Len, Mason and Paul Ledet.”
These cards contained a picture of the Ledets and a list of ways to spread kindness.

“Looking back a year ago, I can’t picture myself doing this at all,” Alyson said. “Now I can’t picture doing anything else. Constantly thinking of others helped keep my mind off the sadness of it all. I know in my heart I had the exact amount of conversations and memories with my brothers, father and uncle. God blessed me with the perfect amount of time with them to carry on what they taught me — to help people.”

Click here to read the complete story posted to Texas A&M’s online college newspaper.