Remembering Beth Wynn
Amanda “Beth” Newman Wynn, an award-winning Mississippi State photographer who chronicled life at the university for 16 years, died at her home in Starkville Sept. 24 after a yearslong battle against cancer. She was 42.
Those who didn’t personally know Wynn likely know her work, which was featured heavily in university publications and websites during her tenure at MSU and will continue to serve as testament to Bulldog life into the future.
Beyond her photo lens, Wynn was a devoted mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend, whose absence leave a significant void.
“Beth Wynn was a very dedicated and talented photographer who loved Mississippi State University and our people,” said MSU Vice President for Strategic Communications Sid Salter. “All of us at the MSU Office of Public Affairs are deeply saddened at her passing, but we thank God that her struggle is over.
“She was brave in that battle and never lost her humanity, zeal for life or passion for her work,” he continued. “Beth was a loving mother and our prayers are with Adam, Aria and the rest of her family at this most difficult time.”
Born Sept. 17, 1984, Wynn grew up in Grovetown, Georgia, a suburb of Augusta. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art. She then began her professional career as a photographer with UGA’s Public Affairs division of Broadcast, Video and Photography.
Always a Bulldog, Beth traded in her Georgia red and black for the maroon and white of Mississippi State in 2010 when she joined the Office of Public Affairs. During her time in Starkville, she exhibited a commitment to both the quality of her photography and the caliber of her relationships with colleagues and the university community.
Wynn’s assignments took her to every corner of MSU’s sprawling campus and across the state as she documented the work and daily life of students, faculty, staff and alumni. She was especially partial to photoshoots with the university’s live mascots and those that allowed her to explore new photography techniques, and she appreciated the opportunity to develop high concept shoots for her university clients.
From campus landscapes to research laboratories, sports, graduations, high profile guests and quiet snapshots of daily campus life, Wynn’s photos have an artistic style that captured the nuance of the people, places and activities that shaped this pivotal time in Mississippi State University history.
In addition to her daily photography on campus, Wynn also had the opportunity to venture around the country and across the globe for unique and challenging assignments. Most notably, she accompanied MSU’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders to Zambia in 2014. There, she shadowed Bulldog students to chronicle their efforts to bring water to remote villages in sub-Saharan Africa.
That photo series, which captured student-life in a village with no power or water, as well as snapshots of local communities and the moment the drill struck water at one of the sites, was honored by multiple organizations with photography awards. It earned a first-place award from District III of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. The assignment also provided countless personal stories about learning to work a right-hand drive manual transmission, fixing a flat tire with a handpump, noisy Guinea hens that kept the camp awake and numerous other obstacles that come with working in a remote location.
In addition to the honors from CASE, Wynn’s work has been recognized with awards from the Advertising Federation of America, College Public Relations Association of Mississippi, Public Relations Association of Mississippi, Southern Public Relations Federation and University Photographers’ Association of America.
While she was passionate about her work, Wynn most enjoyed time with family. She and her husband Adam became parents to their daughter Aria in 2016. She worked to share with Aria her love of art—not just photography, but watercolor, hand lettering, sketching and more. They loved to work together on crafts and Lego building kits. The family also enjoyed watching sports, splitting their Southeastern Conference devotion between her alma mater and adopted university.
She is survived by her daughter Aria and husband Adam Wynn of Starkville; her parents Leroy and Fay Newman of Grovetown, Georgia, and brothers Lee (Katie) and Pat (Olivia) Newman and their children.
A visitation will be held Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. with the funeral to follow at 2 p.m. Both will be hosted by Welch Funeral Home in Starkville.
Over 16 years at Mississippi State, Wynn created an extensive visual record of university life, capturing thousands of moments both significant and everyday through her lens. No single gallery could fully represent the scope of that work or the breadth of her talent. To view a small sampling of photographs from across her career—images that reflect the people, places and moments she documented so thoughtfully and the lasting visual legacy she leaves at MSU—visit the gallery.