April 16, 2007 -- the Virginia Tech Massacre

Three years ago today, 32 Virginia Tech students and professors were slaughtered in cold blood, and many more wounded. It affected the whole country, but to those of us in Virginia, especially those of us in academia, it was devastating.

My car carries a ribbon in Hokie colors in memory of those killed.

Here are their names in the order of their deaths:



1. Ryan Clark (22) Martinez, Georgia
— senior in Psych/Biology/English

2. Emily Hilscher (19) Woodville, Virginia
— freshman in Animal Sciences

3. Liviu Librescu (76) Ploieşti, Romania
— professor of Engineering (Holocaust survivor)

4. Minal Panchal (26) Mumbai, India
— masters student in Architecture

5. G. V. Loganathan (53) Erode, Tamil Nadu, India
— professor of Engineering

6. Jarrett Lane (22) Narrows, Virginia
— senior in Civil Engineering

7. Brian Bluhm (25) Louisville, Kentucky
— masters student in Civil Engineering

8. Matthew Gwaltney (24) Chesterfield County, Virginia
— masters student in Environmental Engineering

9. Jeremy Herbstritt (27) Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
— masters student in Civil Engineering

10. Partahi Lumbantoruan (34) Medan, Indonesia
— PhD student in Civil Engineering

11. Daniel O'Neil (22) Lincoln, Rhode Island
— masters student in Environmental Engineering

12. Juan Ortiz (26) Bayamón, Puerto Rico<21>
— masters student in Civil Engineering

13. Julia Pryde (23) Middletown, New Jersey
— masters student in Biological Systems Engineering

14. Waleed Shaalan (32) Zagazig, Egypt
— PhD student in Civil Engineering

15. Jamie Bishop (35) Pine Mountain, Georgia
— German instructor

16. Lauren McCain (20) Hampton, Virginia
— freshman in International Studies

17. Michael Pohle Jr. (23) Flemington, New Jersey
— senior in Biological Sciences

18. Maxine Turner (22) Vienna, Virginia
— senior in Chemical Engineering

19. Nicole White (20) Smithfield, Virginia
— junior in International Studies

20. Jocelyne Couture-Nowak (49) Truro, Nova Scotia
— professor of French

21. Ross Alameddine (20) Saugus, Massachusetts
— sophomore in English/Business

22. Austin Cloyd (18) Champaign, Illinois
— freshman in Int'l Studies/French

23. Daniel Perez Cueva (21) Woodbridge, Virginia
— junior in International Studies

24. Caitlin Hammaren (19) Westtown, New York
— sophomore in Int'l Studies/French

25. Rachael Hill (18) Richmond County, Virginia
— freshman in Biological Sciences

26. Matthew La Porte (20) Dumont, New Jersey
— sophomore in Political Science

27. Henry Lee (20) Roanoke, Virginia/Vietnam
— freshman in Computer Engineering

28. Erin Peterson (18) Centreville, Virginia
— freshman in International Studies

29. Mary Karen Read (19) Annandale, Virginia
— freshman in Interdisciplinary Studies

30. Reema Samaha (18) Centreville, Virginia
— freshman in Urban Planning

31. Leslie Sherman (20) Springfield, Virginia
— junior in History/Int'l Studies

32. Kevin Granata (45) Toledo, Ohio
— professor of Engineering

The shock of that event makes it seem like yesterday.

Peace to the victims.

It seems like yesterday. It must be even more so for the families who lost loved ones so young and promising.

Virginia Tech, Columbine, Oklahoma City, the end of the Waco standoff....it all goes down in April. Although McVeigh's motive for Oklahoma City was that somehow the government was to blame for Waco, and I've read that Eric Harris was motivated by McVeigh as to Columbine, so it does sort of tie together.

Seriously, I have no idea. But you're right, people are a touch nuttier in the spring IMO.

You weren't paying attention in English Lit.