Former BC professor dies after motorist strikes group of bicyclists in Texas

A former Boston College professor has died after a motorist crashed into a group of bicyclists while they were making their way through Texas on Saturday.

Kent Wosepka, 51, of South Hamilton, and two other cyclists were struck by a man operating a Ford Escape about three miles east of Rye, Texas, on Farm-to-Market 787. Wosepka died on Sunday while at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, Texas, according to a press release from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Fifty-four-year-old Elizabeth O’Brien, also of South Hamilton, was taken by medical helicopter to St. Elizabeth Hospital and was reportedly in serious condition.

The third cyclist, Barbara Ferrell, 59, was taken by medical helicopter to Kingwood Emergency Hospital in Kingwood, Texas, and was also reportedly n serious condition.

The three cyclists were part of a group of six making their way from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida, as part of an annual trip, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Texas officials noted that the driver of the Ford “failed to control their speed.” The release didn’t say if he’ll be facing charges; the investigation is “ongoing,” officials said. The driver was released from the scene, the Chronicle reported.

Wosepka taught at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management from fall 2017 until spring 2020, college media relations confirmed.

“Kent was a great guy and stellar teacher who was highly organized, and very popular with students,” Ronnie Sadka, chair of the Carroll School finance department, said in a statement. “He stopped teaching in 2020 so that he could spend more time travelling, but he knew he could come back to teach here at any time. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and many friends.”

Wosepka also served as chair of the board of trustees for Montserrat College of Art in Beverly; he had been on the board since 2017, according to college President Kurt Steinberg in a statement.

“Kent actively served on several committees for the college including chairing the investment committee, on which he helped to grow the college’s endowment and set the college up for future success,” Steinberg said.

“Kent was originally drawn to Montserrat because of the college’s reputation and he held the Montserrat community in high regard. He loved serving as a trustee and was a constant presence at every important meeting and function. He will be deeply missed and very warmly remembered.”

On his own website, Wosepka shared photos of paintings he did, including landscapes and portraits.

“Kent Wosepka is an artist and father living north of Boston,” the website says. “He is almost always smudged with paint, bicycle grease or dirt. If he is not in his studio, he is probably in the woods.”

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