Bandsman, Holocaust survivor killed at Virginia TechPOSTED: 3:17 p.m. EDT, April 17, 2007
Story Highlights• Students, teaching staff among the dead on the Virginia Tech campus
• Gunman killed 30 people, then himself in Norris Hall
• Two others killed in dormitory earlier
(CNN) -- The victims came to Virginia Tech from different backgrounds and different continents.
Officials have begun to release the names of the 32 people shot and killed by a student on the college campus in Blacksburg, Virginia on Monday.
These are profiles of the victims, accompanied by thoughts and memories shared by those who knew them, some of which have been edited for length and clarity.
Ross Alameddine, 20, 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."
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."
Christopher James Bishop, 35, 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 said. 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."
Ryan Clark, 22, was known as "Stack" to his friends in the Marching Virginians college band. 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. He majored in biology and English, and carried a 4.0 grade-point average, according to the coroner in Columbia County, Georgia. Clark was a resident assistant at West Ambler Johnston Hall, the dormitory where he and another person were shot dead at 7:15 a.m. Monday. He had been planning to pursue a PhD in psychology with a focus in cognitive neuroscience, according to the Marching Virginians Web site. ( Watch what Clark's twin brother and sister said about their grief )
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."
Daniel Perez Cueva, 21, from Peru, was killed while in a French class, said his mother, Betty Cueva. 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 from the U.S. consulate here. 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.
Caitlin Hammaren, 19, 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," said John P. Latini, principal of Minisink Valley High School, where she graduated 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.
Kevin Granata, age unknown, 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.
Emily Jane Hilscher, 19, 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," said Rappahannock County Administrator John W. McCarthy, a family friend. Hilscher, of Woodville, 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."
Matthew La Porte, 20, 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.
Liviu Librescu, 76, was a Holocaust survivor, who his son said, will be remembered as a hero. He "blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Joe Librescu told AP. "Students started opening windows and jumping out." The elder Librescu, a professor at Virginia Tech, was recognized internationally for his research in aeronautical engineering, the head of the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Tech told AP. He was born and received his advanced degrees in Romania.
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 working 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."
G. V. Loganathan, 51, 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.
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."
Mary Karen Read, 19, 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," said Kuppinger. 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."
Juan Ortiz, student, according to Dr. William Knocke of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Jarrett Lane, student, according to Dr. William Knocke of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Erin Peterson, student, Centreville, Virginia
Reema Joseph Samaha, student
Did you know one of the victims? Please share your thoughts and memories.
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