Lori Graham
Contributing Writer
BLACKSBURG – On April 16, 2007, a tragic loss of life occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech, forever changing the families, friends, and communities that hold the Hokie Nation so dear.
Now, 17 years later, a community once again comes together to remember.
An abundance of sunshine was present Tuesday, April 16, 2024 as Hokies gathered on campus to participate in memorial events. The weather was in stark contrast to the dark day that unfolded in 2007, when a cold, blustery day with a few snowflakes blowing in the spring air was met with a horrific attack, resulting in the deaths of 32 students and faculty and injuring numerous survivors.
A whole generation of time has passed, but the events of that day and the remembrance of those impacted by the horrific events is still at the heart of every Hokie.
A memorial in front of Burruss Hall was erected in memory of the lives lost, with each name engraved in stone. The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets stand at attention overlooking the site adorned with flowers and a memorial candle centered among the stones. Streams of people quietly walk past each name, some laying flowers on the sacred ground, others with tears streaming down their faces, while others kneel or stand with heads bowed in prayer.
Also engraved in stone at the center of the memorial are the iconic words “We will prevail,” the words of inspiration delivered at the memorial ceremony for the Virginia Tech shooting victims on April 17, 2007, by Nikki Giovanni. Giovanni, a renowned poet and VT professor, was also an instructor of the very VT student who would later become known to all as the destructor of the peaceful campus community on that fatal day. She was given the incredible task of addressing Hokies near and far suffering from the incredible loss. Her words, “We will prevail. We will prevail. We will prevail,” continue to lift up those impacted by the terrible day.
Every year, Hokies from all over the world remember through their own events held in a variety of locations. On the VT campus, events provide a platform for remembrance, support, and connection. A 3.2 mile Run for the 32, the memorial candlelight ceremony at the April 16 memorial, and a remembrance service at the Wishing Tree held at Solitude are just some of the events that Hokies attended. Activities from the past and present can be found at www.weremember.vt.edu.
According to the weremember.vt.edu site, the 32 victims’ ages ranged from 18 to 76 years old and encompassed a variety of backgrounds, academic achievements and faiths.
“We hope that you are able to reflect on the tremendous promise each of them embodied for our world with creativity, intelligence, humility, and humanity,” the VT site reads.
In remembrance of each forever Hokie, their names follow:
Ross A. Alameddine
Christopher James Bishop
Brian R. Bluhm
Ryan Christopher Clark
Austin Michelle Cloyd
Jocelyn Couture-Nowak
Kevin P. Granata
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
Caitlin Millar Hammaren
Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
Rachael Elizabeth Hill
Emily Jane Hilscher
Jarrett Lee Lane
Matthew Joseph La Porte
Henry J. Lee (Henh Ly)
Liviu Librescu
G.V. Loganathan
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan
Lauren Ashley McCain
Daniel Patrick O’Neil
Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz
Minal Hiralal Panchal
Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva
Erin Nicole Peterson
Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
Julia Kathleen Pryde
Mary Karen Read
Reema Joseph Samaha
Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
Leslie Geraldine Sherman
Maxine Shelly Turner
Nicole Regina White
Family approved biographies of each of the 32 can be read at the Virginia Tech University website previously listed.
