Although the officials are still trying connect many of the events that preceded Monday morning, names of the deceased are now emerging. It seems as though many of the names and pictures are coming from the social website, Facebook, along with the names and pictures there are self written descriptions and mournful notes written by friends and family. If you have a facebook account I urge you to go and look.
Ryan Clark, 22
He was known as “stack” to his friends and family. Ryan Clark was a triple major in psychology, biology and English and had a 4.0 grade-point average and was staying on the Virginia Tech campus until his graduation, which was set for May. Clark was in his 5th year in the Virgina Tech marching band called the “Marching Virginians” and was serving as the personnel officer. The Virginia Tech senior came from Martinez in Georgia and was a “true example of ‘The Spirit Of Tech’,” according to a message posted on the band’s Web site. Clark was a resident assistant at West Ambler Johnston Hall, the dormitory where he and another student was shot at 7:15 AM. And according the Marching Virginians’ website he was planning on perusing a PhD in psychology with a focus in cognitive neuroscience. “The coroner and two sheriff deputies came by and let us know. … I still haven’t quite comprehended what is going on,” his brother told ABC’s Diane Sawyer. “I’m not sure how long it will actually take, but at this point we just miss him and love him.”Ryan Clark’s sister, Nadia Clark, choked back tears as she remembered her brother.”He was the most loving person that you could ever meet,” she said. “He loved anyone that he ever met. No matter what, he was always there. He had something sarcastic to say to make you laugh … but he was always there to help you.”Ryan Clark’s friends echoed her sentiment.”I’d have to say he was definitely very loud, very outgoing,” said Floyd Miller. “About any little thing he could get on you for, his sarcastic humor, [he was] always willing to do something for you”. He will be immensely missed by all.
Arielle Perlmutter of Buford, Georgia, wrote:
“I worked with Ryan Clark at Camp Big Heart, where we both spent part of our summers counseling kids and adults with special needs. At camp, Ryan was one of my closest friends. We had many inside jokes and spent a lot of time being silly and laughing. Ryan never had a frown on his face, and even when something was bothering him, he was only upset for a short time and moved back to his good old happy self. Ryan ran the dance/music program at camp and was constantly moving, singing and entertaining both the staff and campers. Ryan was very happy himself and was always working to make others happy. Camp Big Heart will never be the same without him, and our camp community will bear the scars of the loss for many years to come. Ryan was a gift in the lives of people who met him. He will be missed forever.”
Liviu Librescu, 76
There are a lot of heroes that sacrificed themselves Monday. Liviu Libresca is one of them. Libresca is a Holocaust survivor, who’d emigrated from Israel, died the same day as that country marked Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day, according to CNSNews.com. He was born and received his advanced degrees in Romania and is internationally recognized for his research in aeronautical engineering, the head of the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Tech. His son, Joe Librescu, said that he will always be remembered as a hero. Liviu Librescu “blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee”. He committed the ultimate sacrifice in order to save others, and for that he will always be a true Hero.
Professor Edward Smith of Penn State University wrote:
“Professor Librescu was well known in the aerospace engineering community. I have known professor Librescu for the past 18 years, ever since I was in graduate school. We attended the same annual conferences and worked in the same research area (composite structures). He was a true gentleman. [He was] always very professional and ‘formal,’ dressed in a business suit and very serious about his work. Professor Librescu had a good sense of humor and had many friends in the aerospace community. We are all deeply saddened by this tragic loss.”
Ross Alameddin, 20
Ross Abdallah Alameddin was a student from Saugus, Massachusetts. The sophomore English major was shot during French class, a family friend told The Associated Press. A Facebook page created in Alameddine’s remembrance called him “an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy who will be greatly missed.” Earlier last night, the tormented Saugus mother was waiting by her phone. She spent hours calling police and hospitals, which she said were unresponsive to her frantic pleas for information, said the report.”I just got word he was of the ones killed in the classroom,” said a sobbing Lynnette Alameddine, moments after a chaplain called to tell her that her 20-year-old son was among the dead, according to the Boston Herald. Alameddine had just declared English as his major. A graduate of Austin Preparatory School in Reading, Mass., he was in French class yesterday morning in Room 211 of Virginia Tech’s Norris Hall.
Jake Valentine of Cincinnati, Ohio, wrote:
“I only went to high school with Ross for two years before we moved. We had 10th grade chemistry together, among other things, such as shooting the breeze before classes and at lunch. He’d always make class enjoyable with his humor, which even the teacher would acknowledge. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body. He was one of the nicest, wittiest people you’ll ever know. What strikes out most about him is that his Facebook status will always let people know how selfless he was. His last day started wishing one of his friends a happy birthday. He will be truly missed by all.”
G.V. Loganathan, 51
G.V. Loganathan was a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. Since coming to Virginia Tech in 1982, he earned the Outstanding Faculty Award, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Civil Engineering Education, according to his biography on the Virginia Tech Web site. Loganathan, of Tamil Nadu, India, lived with his wife and children on Virginia Tech’s campus, according to the Times of India. His brother, G.V. Palanivel, told the NDTV news channel in India that, “We all feel like we have had an electric shock, we do not know what to do. [He] has been a driving force for all of us, the guiding force.”
Ken Ying of Raleigh, North Carolina, wrote:
“Professor G.V. Loganathan was my professor when I was a graduate student in Virginia Tech. I worked with him for a research project and helped him with the computer lab management from 1985 to 1991. He was a kind and thoughtful gentleman. I always remember him for his elegant style and perfection in research and teaching. I learned a lot from him each time he gave me those helpful critiques on my works. It is a great loss of everyone from this tragedy. We just lost a great professor and a great friend. All my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. They just lost a great husband and a great father.”
Kevin Granata, age unknown right now
Kevin Granata was one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy, the head of Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Tech said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. He served in the military and conducted orthopedic research in hospitals before coming to Virginia Tech, according to AP. Granata’s academic career included stints at the Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State University, University of Virginia and Wake Forest University. “With so many research projects and graduate students, he still found time to spend with his family, and he coached his children in many sports and extracurricular activities,” engineering professor Demetri P. Telionis told AP.
Matthew La Porte, 20
Matt La Porte of Dumont, New Jersey, was studying political science and French at Virginia Tech. He was also a member of the Corps of Cadets, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets band, the Highty-Tighties and the U.S. Air Force ROTC, according to his MySpace page. This is a comment taken from Matt’s MySpace page…”Matt i know ur not there but i wanna let u no that i will really miss u welll chiu pretty much summed everything up its very hard for me to write this comment but i will never forget about u”.
There isn’t much information on these next people, yet. I am working hard to try and find pictures and information about them, I will update this post as soon as I do.
Henry Lee of Roanoke, Va., a freshman and computer engineering major
Erin Peterson, student, Centreville, Virginia
Leslie Sherman, a sophomore and history and international studies major.
UPDATE:
Reema Joseph Samaha’s father just appeared on Wolf Blitzer’s “The Situation Room” and talked about his recently deceased daughter. There was much discussed but among the ways that he described his daughter was that she was “happy and full of life”, “a beuatiful dancer and well loved” and that she “loved to travel”. The news of his daughter’s death was broken by a friend of Reema’s who asked an ambulance driver who recognized her and he later found out that she was killed in her French class.
Reema Samaha, one of the victims of the shooting at Virginia Tech, graduated from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va. — the same high school as the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho. Samaha was killed inside Norris Hall, along with almost 30 other people. On Tuesday morning, flags were flying at half-staff outside of Westfield High in Samaha’s honor. Another Westfield High student was also killed in the massacre — freshman Erin Peterson.
UPDATE #2:
These latest updates come courtesy of CNN.com
Mary Karen Read, 19
Mary Karen Read was born in South Korea into an Air Force family and lived in Texas and California before settling in the northern Virginia suburb of Annandale. Read considered a handful of colleges, including nearby George Mason University, before choosing Virginia Tech. It was a popular destination among her Annandale High School classmates, according to her aunt Karen Kuppinger. She had yet to declare a major. “I think she wanted to try to spread her wings,” Kuppinger told the AP. She said her niece had struggled in adjusting to Tech’s sprawling 2,600-acre campus. But she had recently begun making friends and looking into a sorority. Kuppinger said the family started calling Read as news reports surfaced. “After three or four hours passed and she hadn’t picked up her cell phone or answered her e-mail … we did get concerned,” Kuppinger said. “We honestly thought she would pop up.”
Andrew Gaddy of Chesapeake State, Virginia wrote:
“Reema lived down the hall from me. She was cherished by all for going out of her way to make everyone feel accepted and content. She would always give a kind smile and a greeting to everyone she saw. Everyone in our hall has been greatly impacted by losing her.”
Joanna Abdallah of Clifton, Virginia, wrote:
“I didn’t really know her, but she touched the lives of people very dear to me. I remember watching her on stage at Westfield High a couple times; she was very talented. Everyone who did know her thought she was nice, intelligent, and funny, and she will be missed. She survived the Lebanon/Israel war to die on her school campus. R.I.P. Reema.”
Jarrett Lane, 22
was a senior civil engineering student who was valedictorian of his high school class in tiny Narrows, Virginia, just 30 miles from Virginia Tech. His high school put up a memorial to Lane that included pictures, musical instruments and his athletic jerseys. Lane played the trombone, ran track, and played football and basketball at Narrows High School. “We’re just kind of binding together as a family,” principal Robert Stump told the AP. Lane’s brother-in-law Daniel Farrell called Lane fun-loving and “full of spirit.” “He had a caring heart and was a friend to everyone he met,” Farrell said. “We are leaning on God’s grace in these trying hours.”
Caitlin Hammaren, 19
Caitlin Hammaren of Westtown, New York, was a sophomore majoring in international studies and French, according to officials at her former school district. “She was just one of the most outstanding young individuals that I’ve had the privilege of working with in my 31 years as an educator,” John P. Latini, principal of Minisink Valley High School, told the AP. Hammaren graduated from the high school in 2005. “Caitlin was a leader among our students.” Minisink Valley students and teachers shared their grief Tuesday at a counseling center set up in the school, Latini said.
Daniel Perez Cueva, 21
Daniel Perez Cueva is from Peru, was killed while in a French class, his mother, Betty Cueva, told the AP. Perez Cuevas was a student of international relations, according to the Virginia Tech Web site. His father, Flavio Perez, spoke of the death earlier to RPP radio in Peru. He lives in Peru and said he was trying to obtain a humanitarian visa to the United States. He is separated from Cueva, who said she had lived in the United States for six years. A spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Lima said the student’s father “will receive all the attention possible when he applies” for the visa.
Jennifer Miller of Dale City, Virginia, wrote:
“I met Daniel Perez last year where we both worked at the time, and I liked him instantly, as everyone did. We became good friends and spent a lot of time together right before he left home to start in the fall. He was so excited to attend Virginia Tech. I remember frantically calling him the day in August that classes started when the other shootings happened, how he reassured me that everything would be OK and how he was his usual happy self. I wish we could hear his voice again, telling us that everything’s OK now. I’ll always remember him as one of the most ambitious and driven people I’ve ever met. He had a beautiful smile that would brighten up anyone’s day and a wonderful sense of humor. He will be missed by many. Daniel’s with God now, and that’s my only consolation during this awful time.”
Christopher James Bishop, 35
Christopher James Bishop taught German at Virginia Tech and helped oversee an exchange program with a German university. Bishop decided which German-language students at Virginia Tech could attend the Darmstadt University of Technology to improve their German. “He would teach them German in Blacksburg, and he would decide which students were able to study” abroad, Darmstadt spokesman Lars Rosumek told the AP. The school set up a book of condolences for students, staff and faculty to sign, along with information about the Virginia shootings. “Of course many persons knew him personally and are deeply, deeply shocked about his death,” Rosumek said. Bishop earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in German and was a Fulbright scholar at Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany. According to his Web site, Bishop spent four years living in Germany, where he “spent most of his time learning the language, teaching English, drinking large quantities of wheat beer, and wooing a certain fraulein.” The “fraulein” was Bishop’s wife, Stephanie Hofer, who also teaches in Virginia Tech’s German program.
Tom Smither of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, wrote:
“Christopher ‘Jamie’ Bishop worked with us in the foreign language department at the University of North Carolina for a couple of years, and he was deeply loved by all of us here. We were saddened by his leaving us to go to Virginia Tech. We are absolutely devastated by his untimely death. He will be missed on this earth. God bless his soul and look after his lovely wife, Stephanie.”
Emily Jane Hilscher, 19
Emily Jane Hilscher was a freshman majoring in animal and poultry sciences, was known around her hometown as an animal lover. “She worked at a veterinarian’s office and cared about them her whole life,” Rappahannock County Administrator John W. McCarthy, a family friend, told the AP. Hilscher, of Woodville, Virginia, was a freshman majoring in animal and poultry sciences. She lived on the same dorm floor as victim Ryan Clark, McCarthy said. A friend, Will Nachless, also 19, said Hilscher “was always very friendly. Before I even knew her, I thought she was very outgoing, friendly and helpful, and she was great in chemistry.”
Jeremy Herbstritt, 27
Jeremy Herbstritt was a Penn State graduate attending graduate school at Virginia Tech for civil engineering. According to his grandfather, “He liked to work on machinery, take a lot of stuff apart and fixed it,” Thomas Herbstritt said. “He was a studious kid.” Herbstritt was also reportedly an avid runner who liked to kayak. He had been an altar boy, and was involved in research on the West Nile disease while at Penn State.
Juan Ramon Ortiz, age unknown
Juan Ramon Ortiz was a native of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and was a graduate student in civil engineering. He recently married another student at Virginia Tech, Liselle Vega.
Jocelyn Couture-Nowak, age unknown
Jocelyn Couture-Nowak was a French instructor at Virginia Tech, was instrumental in the creation of the first French school in a town in Nova Scotia. She lived there in the 1990s with her husband, Jerzy Nowak, the head of the horticulture department at Virginia Tech. Richard Landry, a spokesman with the francophone school board in Truro, Nova Scotia, told the AP that Couture-Nowak was one of three mothers who pushed for the founding of the Ecole acadienne de Truro in 1997. “It was very important for her daughters to be taught in French,” Rejean Sirois — who worked with her in establishing the school — told the AP. A student who identified herself as DeAnne Leigh Pelchat described her gratitude to Couture-Nowak on a Web site. “I will forever remember you and what you have done for me and the others that benefit from what you did in the little town of Truro,” Pelchat wrote in French. “You’ll always have a place in my heart.”
I’ll try to update more with names, pics, bios, ect…
UPDATE #3:
Maxine Turner, age unknown
Maxine Turner was a student was from Vienna, Virginia. She was a student studying chemical engineering.
UPDATE #4:
Austin Cloyd, age unknown
Austin Cloyd was an international studies student, was originally from Champaign, Illinois. His family moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, in 2005.
Erin Peterson, 18
Erin Peterson died while she was in her French class, said her dad, Grafton Peterson. The last time he spoke to her was during a visit at school on Sunday, he said. A fan of “old-school” TV shows like “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Sanford and Son,” Peterson described herself on what appears to be her MySpace profile as a “jeans and a t-shirt girl.” Friends left anguished messages on her profile as news of the shootings first spread. The messages now recall fond memories of graduation and prom night. “You have no idea how much my heart aches knowing I’ll never see you again,” one message read.
Katie Schoolfield of Fairfax, Virginia, wrote:
“Erin Peterson was the sweetest, most caring person I knew. I played basketball with her, and she was the ‘big sister’ of the team. She was always there to offer a helping hand or a giant hug on a bad day. Erin was the kind of person who walked into a room with a smile on her face and it made everyone else smile no matter what kind of mood they were in. Everyone in Fairfax, Virginia, from her Lessons Learned basketball family loves and misses her, and are keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers. Rest in Peace, Erin.”
UPDATE #4:
More and more names are slowly but surely being revealed, here are the latest.
Daniel O’Neil, age unknown
Daniel O’Neil of Lincoln, Rhode Island, was one of the many killed by the gunman at Virginia Tech University. No other information on Daniel is known at this moment. I will update as soon as possible.
Sean McQuade, age unknown
Sean McQuade, seen here in his 2003 Clearview Regional High School yearbook photo, was in critical condition at Carlion Roanoke Memorial Hospital after he was shot in the face, in Blasksburg, Va., according to the Gloucester County Times of Woodbury. McQuade was one of at least four students from New Jersey who was killed in Monday’s shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. Another was seriously injured, according to the New Jersey governor’s office.
Cho Seung-Hui, the man behind the sick and twisted killings at Virgina Tech University, spoke on camera. It is finally known what exactly he did in the two hour span between killings. He took pictures of himself in various positions and with weapons and he made a few short videos where he said “you forced me into a corner”. This sick and obviously disturbed individual even went as far to say “You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today”.
Later in the video he went on a rant about his hatred of the wealth and other unnamed enemies in this chilling and angry messages. He went on to say “You had everything you wanted. Your Mercedes wasn’t enough, you brats. Your golden necklaces weren’t enough, you snobs. Your trust fund wasn’t enough. Your vodka and cognac weren’t enough. All your debaucheries weren’t enough. Those weren’t enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You had everything”.
All the information hasn’t yet been released, for obvious reasons, but MSNBC.com reported that Cho also discussed “martyrs like Eric and Dylan” apparently referring to Columbine High School gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who killed 13 people and themselves on April 20, 1999.
