It didn't take long for Vincent Woodward to make his presence felt at Mount View Middle School in Marriottsville. Within months after his arrival as a sixth-grader, Vincent was elected school president.
Nor did it matter to the rest of the students that Vincent, who would have entered eighth grade in the fall, had a form of dwarfism. Many who had grown up with him had long been won over by his indomitable spirit and magnetic personality. If they thought of him being different, it was because he was more mature, more grounded and generally more fun to be around than most of his peers.
"Middle school is about being cool. Vincent never acted cool to anyone," said Jack Watson, a friend. "He was always a great guy."
The tight-knit community is now mourning the 13-year-old's death. Late Wednesday afternoon, Vincent was killed in a Howard County traffic accident that critically injured his mother and left his 5-year-old sister, Jacqueline, less seriously injured.
Word of the accident spread quickly, mostly through text messages among Vincent's wide group of friends. Jack Watson read a text message from one of his friends and immediately texted another who was closer to Vincent to learn whether the tragic news was true.
" 'There was a crash, and Vincent didn't make it,' " the friend wrote back in a text message.
The accident occurred shortly after Kyong Hae "Jennifer" Kim pulled the family van out of the Howard Lodge neighborhood and started to turn south from River Road onto Route 32 in Sykesville, heading to her children's horseback riding lesson. As she made the left turn at the busy - and, some say, dangerous - intersection, the van was hit by a flatbed tow truck headed north.
While police continue to investigate the accident, friends and family mourn the death of a boy who had become an inspiration.
Anita Yingling recalled how Vincent and his father, Robert Woodward, recently helped cut up a fallen tree in her front yard, one of many kind acts the family performed during their near-decade in the neighborhood.
"He was always doing something in the community. He was a wonderful kid," said Yingling, who lives with her husband, David, a few houses away from Vincent's family.
David Yingling said neighbors were trying to help the family now by mowing the lawn and preparing meals.
Vincent's small stature "didn't hinder him in any way," Anita Yingling said. "After you met him the first time, you forgot about it. He was a leader."
