I don't think any Hokie ever forgets, or uses 4/16 as an exclusive day to remember. I think of the 32 that were senselessly lost in 2007 at random times throughout a year. I bet everyone else here does too. I've been on the golf course, shopping for groceries, or driving my car when my brain, seemingly randomly, concludes in a set of logic that returns my memory of that day.
As I followed what happened from my apartment some 500 miles away from Blacksburg, I cried in disbelief.
I didn't know any of the victims, so today is the day I remember them, not my own sadness, and listen to Nikki Giovanni's beautiful words.
If you're reading this and knew one of the Hokies lost, I hope you've found peace today and every day afterwards. We are Virginia Tech, and we will always remember.
Comments
4129 miles from Blacksburg and wearing my VT shirt with pride at the office. Thinking a lot about this big beautiful Hokie family spread all around the world.
7 years ago, I was a Junior in high school, 1600 miles away from Blacksburg. I in no way want to understate the magnitude of the tragedy or the pain that the families/friends of the victims and the students who were attending at the time must have experienced, but being so far away with relatively few personal connections to Virginia Tech, I think it was difficult to really relate to or understand on the level I'm sure many of you did.
This began to change when I moved to Blacksburg almost 2 years ago. I've met and heard stories from people who knew some of the victims personally. I've seen the unbeleivable displays of support from Hokie Nation--the 3.2 for 32 stands out in particular. I remember the first time I saw the monument and reading every name, trying my best to remember all of them because you can't live in Blacksburg for any amount of time and not want to remember them.
There have been many nights after finishing a workout at War Memorial with some time to spare before catching a bus home, when I would walk across the drill field to read the names again. I wish I could say I know them all from memory, but I don't yet. Some have stuck with me: Erin Peterson, because we share the same last name. Brian Bluhm, because of the incredible story of Curtis Granderson reaching out to his family and forging a relationship after their loss. Liviu Librescu, the holocaust survivor who died in the ultimate act of love and heroism, blocking the door as his students escaped through windows. Ryan Clark. Julia Pryde. Someday, I hope to know the names and stories of all 32. Interestingly enough, I don't remember the name of the shooter (and please don't tell me).
I'll read the names and biographies again today and try to permanantly retain at least a couple more.
Go Hokies. Never Forget.
If everyone took the same approach as you to learn about and honor those who lost their lives and less about who caused the massacre, this world would be a much better place. Well written and good thoughts. Glad to be a part of a community of Hokies like you.
This is so true. I'm going to do my best to forget the name of the coward who took 32 lives and try my best to remember the names of those 32 Hokies instead.
The Habitat for Humanity for Loudoun County is building a neighborhood named after Erin Peterson. I have worked on a couple of the homes here over the last few years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/loudoun-habitat-to-build-homes-in-ho...
This is really great. Along these lines, the MVs partnered with CHP back in 2009 to build a house in honor of Stack Clark.
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/article_3db560f5-fd3a-53db-8fc9-e1d2...
I think it was the first home in a new development. I love being a Hokie.
Stack!!!!
Every time I read Liviu Librescu's bio I struggle to wrap my brain around that hero's life, and ultimate act selflessness. What an amazing person.
I wish they'd name one of the new halls after him. If anyone embodied the spirit of a Hokie, it was Librescu.
^ This. I could dish out a million turkey legs for this idea.
We need to get this through to the right people. How would anybody NOT want this?
It's in the pipelines, from what I remember hearing a couple years ago.
Maybe it'll be the new engineering building that's almost done. That would make my day
True. That is currently called the "Signature Engineering Building" so I can't think of a building more fitting to honor the true scholar, researcher, instructor and hero that Dr. Librescu embodied.
Unfortunately that would be a huge financial sacrifice for the university. Naming rights for buildings, colleges, etc. are some of the biggest fundraising tools universities have.
BUT MAYBE WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. What if motivated alumni and friends created a kickstarter or something to raise funds, with the purpose of donating to the university to secure the naming rights for benefit of Liviu Librescu?
It costs $2 million to name a dean's chair. I wouldn't be surprised if a building costs $10 million to name. But I bet it would attract lots of support, even outside the university.
http://www.givingto.vt.edu/HowYouCanGive/named-endowments.html
Could TheKeyPlay change the world?
To my knowledge Tech doesn't have any corporately-named dorms or academic halls. I would be surprised if "Librescu Hall" would cost them that much money.
It's not corporations, but wealthy private benefactors that pony up the cash to name a building. It is a significant amount. A professor once told me that to name a building would cost a donor around $10 million.
I have been a huge supporter of the idea of having a Librescu Hall on campus.
Wait. So Steger and Co. had to wait for someone to pay money before New Residence Hall West became Peddrew-Yates Hall?
I am disappoint.
I seem to recall that each family donated somewhere in the $4-5M range before that building was named, though my memory could be faulty there. If anyone can find an actual source for that, it'd be great. But yes, building naming typically requires big time donations.
http://www.wcyb.com/news/virginia-tech-naming-building-for-p-buckley-mos...
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/article_9cb53be5-6c16-56ad-a83e-4f44...
That should go out the window for heroic deeds, especially those done on the VT campus, IMHO.
This is exactly what I was thinking. Let's do it.
So how do we go about trying to make this happen? Is there anyone down there on campus that could go talk to the right people? Something along the lines of... "Hey, we don't have much money, but what could we do to make this happen?"
I honestly don't know. Maybe walking into Steger's office?
Yup, but he's only got a month and a half left on the job (Sands's wikipedia page says he'll assume office June 1). Might be just as effective if someone can track down Dr. Torgersen.
Every year when 4/16 arrives I am hit with so many emotions. I was a transfer student from TCC and so excited to get into VT. My girlfriend at the time was at VT and I had just celebrated my birthday the week before. I still remember hearing the news and just constantly calling to try and get through to my ex. The evening of I told my parents I was driving up there in my old dieing 87 mustang and there only concern was if the car would make it. I stayed there for a week and we barely left the room just because walking around campus was hard. There were more police than students outside. I remember the candlelight vigil and yelling the loudest "LET'S GO, HOKIES" I will probably ever yell. Above all I just remember I need to love far more than I hate. At times it is difficult for me to remember but I will surely never forget.
Sorry if this was too much about me. This time of year seems to hit me differently every year. Figured I needed somewhere to let it out since I still have difficulty discussing some of it with those close
Those are amazing words.
I was a student at Blacksburg High School that day, locked down in a windowless room for hours while it all happened. I don't remember everything about that day anymore, but I do remember feeling dazed, like I had stepped into some sort of surreal dimension where there were no rules and no one cared about each other. I won't go so far as to say it felt like the end of the world, but it sure as hell didn't feel like the beginning of it. I'm keeping the dead-and all of you-close to my heart today.
We are Virginia Tech.
Go Hokies.
I was a junior in high school in the middle of WV with no connections to Virginia Tech when this tragedy happened. I remember my friends asking me why I'd still go there after all of that. I pointed to the display of the students and the community, how everyone stood up and prevailed and made it known that it's special to be a Hokie. If I hadn't already been convinced that I wanted to be a part of this family, I would have been at that moment.
Through my 4 years, I had a lot of great experiences with the Marching Virginians, but they all absolutely pale in comparison to the show we did at Lakeside High School in Georgia in 2009. We were there to honor Ryan "Stack" Clark and his family. That place was packed to the brim, the school brought in extra bleachers, there were people everywhere. I'll never forget the look on Letitie Clark's face, the gratitude and the pain. That show is how I define being a Marching Virginian, and a Hokie.
That was my very first show with the MVs, and still my favorite. Playing at Lakeside High tops out the Sugar Bowl, Orange bowl, or anything else I did as an MV.
I was at my first job out of VT when I saw the news and wanted nothing more than to go to Blacksburg straight from work in Southern Tennessee. This was the first tribute that went around that I remember seeing. I watch it and cry every time. I remember thinking to myself, "Why does it take terrible tragedy for people to come together?" I remember being so proud to be a Hokie as the media swarmed to the tragedy and tried to get students to say they wouldn't come back to VT, and all of them were like "You must be crazy. You think I'm not coming back home?" or something to that effect.
Love my Hokie family!
I was 500 miles away in graduate school when it all happened. I don't know how long it took for the shock to wear off when you see "32 people killed" in all of the stories.
I know I cried like a baby when we kicked off against ECU that fall season. Too much emotion at one moment.
#NeverForget
It was a normal work day for me at the same job I currently have. I remember all the sudden
getting tons of text messages from friends and family asking if I was ok just because of how often
I visit the campus. It wasn't until I got on the internet and saw the horror that I knew the magnitude
of what had happened. I personally didn't know any of the victims. But I remember crying on the way
home that day and wondering how could a Hokie murder his fellow Hokies. I just could not understand.
Today I am proudly wearing my maroon #DecadeofDominance shirt for the first time.
We will neVer forgeT!
Every year I seem to feel something different, some new and complex set of emotions. I was in school on 4/16/07, luckily still at home when everything happened. It was my senior year, and that day and the ones following shaped my life.
I am grateful to have this community, and the ability to share thoughts here as a means of catharsis. Just as I said in another very sorrowful thread, I may not have met you TKPers (or maybe I have and just don't know it), but I consider you friends; you are Hokies so I know you.
A good friend of mine was dreading this day, and I told her the following: the fact that we are here to face this terrible anniversary every day is a rebuke to those who would do us harm and a tribute to those we lost. Embody the Hokie spirit and do something important today. Achieve something for yourself, help someone else, whatever. I have set a goal for myself at work today, related to some software that I am writing. It's minor in the grand scheme of things, but it's something I have been struggling with and it's important to me. So I am going to adopt the lunch pail, blue-collar attitude and take this task down because I can. Because I learned at Virginia Tech that nothing can hold me back, not the trivial things and not the big ones.
Ut Prosim, my friends. Go Hokies.
Great post, here I was wandering off to TKP as I had run into a wall with a particular piece of software I was working on today. Back to work..
I hope yours works as well as mine (if not better). I managed to start my day off by getting the mess I've been dealing with to compile on the first shot. Now I need to run some more tests...
I am currently 9500 from Blacksburg (Sydney, NSW) - but my heart is always with the Hokie Nation.
What I wrote about this last year:
on a side note...its amazing how much the academic side of campus has changed in 7 years
I was at the top right corner of the T standing on the footpath
this is a great picture!
I'm in the "V"
Freshman year of high school. I walked into my English class and my teacher had the TV on, when I saw Virginia Tech I sat down and shut up. I was really the only one in my entire grade who liked Virginia Tech, so while everyone else was using what was essentially a day off to screw around I was watching the news. I watched non-stop for the next week and will never forget seeing Nikki Giovani's speech.
On a side note, I wasn't able to do the 3.2 mile run on Saturday. I'm gonna walk it this Saturday if anyone wants to join.
I still remember that day vividly. Like this morning, that morning was bitter cold for mid-April, and I texted my mom because of the snow that was coming down as I walked from my dorm in Newman to my 8am in Cheatham. Having no clue I was walking by what was unfolding in AJ, I continued to class, only to hear the sirens of what sounded like hundreds of police cars racing by on West Campus Drive. Being in a underclass ESM class, a flurry of texts were going off for everyone in class, as word spread of what was unfolding in Norris, where the dept was housed.
After being dismissed early because of all the chaos, I went back to my dorm and witnessed the rest unfold from there. Not knowing what was going on, and seeing the reports come in, we were all in disbelief. No more so than when I realized, that because my 8am class had gotten to too large prior to the semester, it was moved from Norris to Cheatham to accommodate the larger class.
I still miss those that I knew, still remember what happened like it was yesterday, and still am reminded the community that we share as Hokies. I'm always proud and thankful to have attended VT, but even prouder and thankful of my Hokie family!
All the way down in FL I can remember exactly where I was. Definitely one of the worst days/moments in a long time. I have my VT dress shirt on today! GO HOKIES!
That day, I remember I was sitting in my sophomore English class in Mountain View, CA when I first heard the news about what had happened at VT. It was my first real experience with Tech, apart from seeing them play in a couple bowl games and thinking the maroon unis looked pretty cool. Seven years later, I couldn't be more proud to be a part of such a strong, special community: Hokie Nation.
I was reading Frank Beamer's most recent book, which opens with a chapter about his experiences on that day. He said, "I took it upon myself to send a message to anyone who listened: 'This was a lone act by a very disturbed man and it won't define Virginia Tech. We won't let it. We will react to this and we will become closer and stronger and we will treat people around us nicer. We will come together, using the pain of this horrible tragedy to become better people.'" I think time has proven him wise, as this is exactly what I saw the first time I visited Blacksburg in 2009, and it's what I see every day here at Tech. I often joke that the reasons I chose to come all this way are: football, food, and engineering (in that order), but really it was the community here that brought me in. There's nothing else like it anywhere in the country. Today, and every day, I'm proud to be a Hokie.
I was junior in high school 7.5 hours away in NJ when this happened, was planning on applying on advice of a guidance counselor, and I had never been on campus yet. As the next year went by I had friends and family bring up safety concerns but once I set foot in Blacksburg I knew this was one of the best places in the world.
Even now as I work in DC when people will ask about it as soon as they hear I'm a Tech grad. I always take this opportunity to tell them how wonderful the Virginia Tech community is and how I loved/still love every second I'm in Blacksburg.
Was in my apartment getting ready for class when an email came through from my professor telling everyone to avoid campus for the day. Signed on to TSL and turned on the news to see what was going on.
Thankfully, I didn't know anyone involved. Went to the convocation, went to the vigil, and then got the heck out of town, having learned classes were canceled for the next 2 weeks. In the 24 hours after it happened, the media swarmed town like sharks sensing blood. Nobody on campus could avoid a reporter sticking a mic in their face. Even after I came home to NC, we had local news people showing up at our front door asking for an interview, somehow finding out I was a student at the time. Still remember the fact that VT had to put up "media is not welcome in this building" on every door to every campus building when classes resumed, and even that didn't stop some from posing as students to sit in on classes. I will forever hate the likes of Nancy Grace for the way those people tried to create more stories and controversy during their time on our campus. I've had a very skeptical view of any news story ever since.
The whole 24 hours seems like a complete blur, but one of the things I remember is sitting up in Cassell right above where the speakers were, and thinking to myself, how incredibly large George Bush's head was in comparison to the rest of his body.
i remember getting on tsl that day and media folks were even on there trying to get people to talk.
I was a senior at VT that year, under a month away from graduation. I'll never foget the rush of emotions from that day, week, and months immediately after. Live your life for those 32 who no longer have that chance and follow the motto: Ut Prosim, That I May Serve.
I was moving from Charlotte to Roanoke to be closer to family after my now-ex wife told me she was leaving me. We had been unhappy for most of the short marriage, so I was mostly looking at it as a second chance but there were definitely a lot of confusing emotions being dealt with. As I unloaded the moving truck to a cacophony of ambulances and turned on a radio to hear what was going on, everything changed. There was no room for self-pity, it suddenly seemed ridiculous to sit and wonder what went wrong, what I could have done better or how I was wronged because I had the luxury of living my life. There were all of these kids that had that taken from them. I couldn't feel bad for myself because I had the chance to change, to turn things around. Every year on this day I go and read the bios again for each of these people & wish that we could've seen them change the world in a different manner, but their memory makes me strive to live & treat people right every day.
Two reads I like to share every year on this day:
The first from Chris Fowler reminds me how fortunate I am to be a Hokie:
The second from former basketball player Coleman Collins helps me explain the tragedy to others:
Thanks bar1990. I really appreciate those two quotes.
Coleman's piece perfectly captures the emotion and the heartbreak and the resilience we felt those few days, and in the days following. I remember reading his piece in 2010 when he put it out the first time, and now I've read it every year since. It always brings me to tears. Thanks for sharing it again, bar1990.
Another article that gets shared is a blog by a student at the time, detailing the events as she was walking to class and the following days. http://paintspeckledpawprints.blogspot.com/2012/04/live-for-32.html?m=1
Go read this now.
Wow. Thanks for sharing.
Read this for the first time this morning. Really a great read.
Wow i have not read this before. The first part of the story is chilling because this is exactly what I went thru. I was walking across the drillfield (probably around the time she was) and was actually on the phone with my mom while walking to my engineering econ class. I heard what i thought at the time was construction (possibly banging of steel) for the new engineering hall being built at the time. My mom even commented on the noise in the background. So i thought nothing of it till i got to the bus stop benches in front of Burruss when cop cars were jumping the curbs and cops started swarming. Two cops came running from behind me and told me to get to the other side of the drillfield for there was a gun man on campus. I told my mom i would call her back when i got to my dorm for there was a gunman on campus. I took off and ran across the drillfield not knowing what was going on behind me (is this gunman in a building? is he outside shooting?) Never been more scared in my life so i cannot imagine what others had to go through. I know it was just as frightening for my mom to hear all of this and not know what was going on.
I didnt know anyone personally but i lived in WAJ so i saw Ryan from time to time. Also had Measurements class with Loganathan. I like to think i still use alot of what Loganathan taught me from that class in my current job.
While I still remember the nightmares of that day, i like to think we must continue to strive to be better people, and continue to 'Invent the Future' in memory of those that were our Hokie Family. Live for 32, love for 32 and neVer forgeT.
One of the most powerful things I have ever read.
It reminds you that we all were affected by the tragedy, but each in a unique and vivid way.
Thanks for sharing the link.
What strikes me in the article and reading everyone's accounts of their day is the little details everyone remembers, what song they were listening to, who they were talking to and the exact feelings and you can still feel them and will always know that exact feeling
That was excellently put.
I'm sitting in my office trying to hold myself together after that.
Wow. I had never seen this before. One of the most powerful pieces I've ever read.
Great Read. That will never get old...
"If you really, honestly love someone, then go to them. Be with them. Cherish every moment you have together. If you don't, you'll only regret it, and you may not be privileged with a second chance."
^^^This
I was a junior in high school at the time and already planning on coming to Tech. Word started to seep out during the day about what was going on and I sat in shock and awe once I returned home to see what had happened. I wore Tech gear most of the time anyway, but I became as "Hokie-fied" as possible for the coming days and weeks. Multiple people brought up safety concerns, but like others have said above, the response by the community assured me that I wanted to go to Virginia Tech.
As we reflect here, somehow 7 years later, I was reminded of the great speech that First Lady Michelle Obama gave in my graduation in 2012. I've used this from time to time since then and have never been prouder to be a Hokie:
Go Hokies.
Wasn't a student. But I am a Virginian, and always will be a fan. Just moved into my first house in Summerville, SC, that weekend because the Navy wanted me to teach. I was standing in line at Time Warner because my brand new cable box wasn't working, and saw the news on the TV over the counter. It was already "old" by that point, and I was almost angry that my box wasn't working and I didn't see it as it happened. Then just saddened, and as Coleman said, empathetic, and looking for answers - the kind that everyone can live with, not one political class or another.
I love Hokie Nation
Ut Prosim.
Service is often accompanied by pain. This tragedy was thrust upon us for a reason, it is our opportunity to serve the memories of our lost, the futures of our brethren and society as a whole.
I was in the last semester of grad school at VT, having already finished with my B.A. and going straight into a Master's program, so I had spent more than half a decade in Blacksburg and at VT (I received more than a handful of Van Wilder and Tommy Boy jokes from my friends about it). I didn't have classes on Mondays, but was preparing for thesis defense so I was heading into campus early that day. Thankfully I checked the internet before I left and saw everything that was happening. At first it seemed like an isolated incident at West AJ, and then the details and numbers of casualties at Norris Hall started pouring out, and everyone began realizing what was unfolding in front of us.
Being a grad student, I was working as a graduate teaching assistant for one of the professors in my department. Had the shooting happened on Tuesday instead of Monday at that time of day, I would have been administering a test in Norris 206. To this day I often think about what could have been and how I would have reacted, although I doubt that anything I could have done would have shown the level of sacrifice and courage that so many people displayed that morning.
Unfortunately, I knew three of the victims that were killed on that day, one having been a former professor, another a roommate of a friend, and the last a friend and co-worker from my part-time job while in high school in the Richmond area. There aren't many days that go by where I don't think of at least one of them, and what the world lost on 4/16.
The rest of that day was difficult, as were the weeks and months that followed. I chose to stay at school through graduation, because I felt I owed it to the community and school that gave so much to me to be there when it needed people like me the most. My girlfriend at the time (now my wife and mother of my kids) took off of work to drive down and be a support system for me. That was the point when I realized that come hell or high water, I was going to marry her.
To this day, the anniversary of the shootings is a difficult one for me, especially since I'm further away from VT, having just moved to Colorado with my family. Having a forum like TKP though, with folks that are just as passionate about my school as I am, makes a huge difference. I really can't imagine a tighter knit school and community, and am fortunate every day to call myself a Hokie.
I never knew Ryan Clark, but being in the same section in the MVs I always felt like I did. Once a Tone, always a Tone. I'll never forget my first ever show in the Marching Virginians at Lakeside High School in 2009, where we played to honor Ryan. I was a freshman at VT, I never knew any of the 32 Hokies from that day, but it was all I could do from breaking down while playing the opening theme of amazing grace as a part of the Baritone section, knowing Ryan "Stack" Clark was looking down and listening to us.
Edit: Another very good article about the MVs.
I've a family member who knew him. he best description - 'He was a very sweet guy, and you could tell he would do well in life.' While his life was cut unexpectedly short, he did indeed do well in the time he was given.
I was just in middle school when it happened, and my big sister was just in her freshman year. I was so young that they didn't tell us what happened that day and I found out after getting home. It didn't really hit me how tragic the event was just because I was 13 years old.
I've never let what happened that day define my experience though. As far as I'm concerned, Virginia Tech is the happiest place on earth and beats Disney World by a mile. I've never felt safer than I do on campus, and never known a community as strong as the Hokie Nation.
Ut Prosim and Go Hokies everyone
I didn't graduate from Virginia Tech, hell I never even went there as a student. I am a damn Hokie though, and proud of it! In April of 2007 I was attending the U.S. Army Jumpmaster school in Fort Benning, GA. We broke for lunch around 11:30 and A friend of mine and myself went to the food court for chow. I didn't know what was going on until then when I saw it on the t.v. Instantly I wanted to be there, to do....something, anything. RIP brothers and sisters.
I remember the day vividly I was in middle school walking out of gym to my locker to catch the bus on the ride home when my friend (another huge hokie friend told me about the shooting in the dorm). The dorm was the one my brother was staying in and the bus ride home felt like an eternity (seeing as I didn't have a cell phone to reach him with) and finally I came home and watched the news with my dad in horror after learning of my brothers safety....it was a weird day I didn't really understand how much it had left a mark on me until years later when I realized how vividly I remember that day. So senseless and strange neVer forgeT
I was traveling that morning, and only learned of it when a friend called to find out what was going on. Then, listening to periodic reports as I made my way to Norfolk it all seemed pretty surreal. The real aching and weeping came when I visited Squires the following week. There were displays of support from around the globe, literally, and from high/middle/elementary schools throughout the nation. It was as real as NYers feel about Sept. 11th, and just as much a display of Hokie nation, in our own way. Thinking back now, in hearing the descriptions of Blacksburg/NRV area by the national media, I felt immense pride in being 'quaint & old fashioned' the way they painted us. Sports are fun, but the bond of Virginia Tech is much larger in so many ways. We are Virginia Tech.
We lost one of my sister's best friends on 4/16, Leslie Sherman. She is one of the most extraordinary people I've ever met (I refuse to use the past tense, as her legacy will live forever).
I tweeted this today, but will say it again - it is up to us to make up for the amount of good that was taken away from the world that day.
Having a bad day? Doesn't matter. Do good. Be kind. Love. Leave the world a better place than it was at the beginning of the day.
I'm proud of my high school newspaper (where I was one of the editors 7 years ago) for putting out a profile on Leslie today.
Leslie's VT Rememberance page
I met Leslie briefly the night before on April 15th. She was hall mates with a friend of mine who I went running with that evening. We went back to her dorm and were hanging out when Leslie walked by and poked her head in to introduce herself. She was genuinely nice to me and I will never forget her. I barely knew her, but she left a lasting impression on me.
She and I were both history majors, although being a grad student, I never got a chance to meet her. The faculty in the History Department presented her parents with a diploma at our graduation ceremony, and I've never seen so many people with tears in their eyes (myself included) in one room before. From what I've read, she is a truly remarkable person.
She and my high school's top History teacher (who happened to be her mentor) pushed me to study History at Tech. Remarkable young lady.
I was working at my first job and our secretary came in and asked if I'd heard what was happening at Virginia Tech. I said no and instantly started looking at the news stories coming in...not much work was done that day.
I don't know if anyone else felt this way, but obviously I was sad and I had a sense of longing to be back at Virginia Tech. A lot of people would think "why would you want to be there on that dreadful day?", but I knew the only place I could be where I could share how I was feeling and everyone would understand was back in Blacksburg.
Still holds true for a lot of us- I was fortunate enough to live in Blacksburg for over 5 years after I graduated in 2007. The 2 years since, I wish I was able to be in Blacksburg on this day. I stayed in Blacksburg the whole time leading up to graduation that year, becuase I wanted to be around my Hokie Family.
neVer forgeT
Been busy with work, so I haven't had much posting opportunity.
Need to today. We are Virginia Tech.
Today, April 16th, has become one of those its a small world impact on my wife and I. Before moving to Blacksburg, we lived in Newport News. Back in 2000 we met on April 16th. We both were divorced and earlier on decided that we didnt need to be married again and that we would be everything else a marriage brings but just not tie the knot. We merged our lives together and said that if the day ever arrives where we mutually agree to change that, we would. In the meantime, we enjoyed our togetherness. Our tie to VT at that time was that her daughter and future son-in-law were undergrads here and we came often to watch home games. We decided that when the time came to retire, we would move here and enjoy the quieter life and of course, the Hokies as well.
After 7 years (in 2007) the day arrived that we decided that we did want to marry and chose to do so with a destination wedding in St Lucia. We wanted to do it on the anniversary of meeting and were saddened when the resort said they were all booked up for the 16th. The closest available date was April 7th so we chose that. We had no clue as to how that would become a very significant, if not prophetic, event and choice. We spent the week prior to the 7th just enjoying the island and all it had to offer. We returned a day or two after the wedding and less than a week after that, the tragedy struck. Her daughter, by this time, was doing post-grad but in Roanoke. The son-in-law was working in CRC. But the shooting had a devastating toll on my wife and that still impacts today due to her present position.
The following year, the bank where my wife worked had a reduction-in-force in her department and she was offered a very lucrative severance package or another job within the bank and at a higher salary (more hours and stress to go along). She initially did not know which direction to go. She said she would go visit her daughter for a week and would come to a decision before returning. While here, she, on a whim, checked the vacancy announcements at VT and saw one that sounded like her dream job that she always wanted. She applied and eventually was selected for the position in University Relations. We packed up, sold the house, and moved. She started in July 2008 and I came in October after staying behind to sell the house. Every anniversary of 4/16 has become a difficult day for her because University Relations is involved with all the inquiries each year from the media worldwide and they do still bombard them with calls and emails, etc. Her boss still receives invitations from all over the world to speak about the VT world before and then after when it comes to dealing with a mass tragedy like 4/16. My wife just had a hip replacement and her first day back to work yep, today..
The Key Play (while I do not post much) has become my one and only place to go for Hokie football. I feel as if everyone is family and have learned so much about everything football related. I just knew that TKP would come thru today with everybodys thoughts and remembrances of that awful awful day seven years ago. I dont share much of Nikki Giovannis ideologies but when she spoke so eloquently at the time, she embedded the true spirit of the Hokie Nation within my soul.
And, due to the resort not having that date available, we do not have to try and celebrate our anniversary on a day that is tied to so much saddness.
I've seen many MV's on here talking about the performance in Augusta to honor Ryan Clark. That was among my highlights during my four years on the VT Drumline.
For those that haven't seen it, here's a video of the performance:
I know I'm late to the party mentioning this. but I dont think there is a single MV who was in the band for that show eho wouldn't say that that show was a highlight of their career in the band
I am a member of the class of 2007 and it was my last semester at Virginia Tech. I miss being in Blacksburg today every year. It remains part of my tradition to visit the memorial every time I make it back to campus, and I cry every time in front of the stones. It was surreal and painful to see that happen on our campus, it doesn't hurt any less now than it did then.
I miss all my fellow Hokies the most on 4/16, but I take solace knowing that all of us Hokies, wherever we are, feel that too.
I don't want to post too much but i made this a year after it happened. hope you enjoy
I just got back from picking up lunch at Potbellys in DC, and for the first time that I've seen they had a live musician playing for the lunch hour. The first song he played was Fields of Gold, and my hair stood up. Those of you who were able to go to the candlelight vigils every year on this day remember that's the song that the choir sings while the candlight is being passed from the memorial to the crowd. It's pretty amazing how things happen for a reason, and my day is now somewhat complete since I am reminded that Hokie Nation is always there, and stronger than ever.
I was at work at Michigan State University, looking forward to the week leading up to my wedding (21st of April) when I heard. I shed many tears that week and made some slight changes to my wedding day to honor the memory of those who lost their lives and were injured (a orange ribbon was placed under the candle honoring my father, who passed the year before and the officiant made a comment in his blessing at dinner that have everyone in tears even though there were only four VT grads in the room of 250). Every April 16th I wear a Hokies United shirt a friend got for me and I tend to wear orange or maroon the entire week.
I think the thing that touched me the most in the aftermath was the outpouring of love and support from not only all these other schools, but our "rivals." WVU and UVA's students (not to mention JMU, VCU, George Mason, etc) blew me away with the tributes and love. After all rivalries are mainly about sports at the end of the day, sports are just entertainment.
I never took a class at Virginia Tech. My wife got her first degree there while I just worked. I was basically a townie from out of town. I feel, and have felt, this connection to Blacksburg and the school since a few weeks after we moved to Apt Heights and its so much more than sports. People are so friendly in and around town, the setting couldn't be more perfect with the mountains nearby, and the mascot is a giant turkey thing. There's something to be said about not taking yourself too seriously.
I know people who went to Tech and feel no connection at all, to them it was just a means to an end. That's pretty much the way I feel about my alma mater. Nothing against JMU, but I went there because it was a good school I could afford and commute to while not having to move or quit my job.
I feel at home in Blacksburg. I feel as if I'm among my people when I visit. Its tough to explain but everybody who posts here knows what I'm getting at. VT aint just another school, its a community, a town, and yes a football team that collectively kick more ass than anyone should.
I must be getting more emotional as I get older, because I totally teared up reading some of the stuff above. Go Hokies. NeVer ForgeT.
I'm not sure where it came from, but this is my favorite quote
I was about a year removed from getting my MAEd from Tech, two years removed from my BA, and a few months away from starting my MA in Spanish at American University. My wife and I had just gotten married 10 months earlier and were living outside Baltimore, and I just so happened to be off that day. I don't think I realized anything was happening until I saw some statuses go up on Facebook, so I turned my TV to CNN to see what was going on.
I sat at my desk for a good 3 hours trying to make sense of what kind of year it had been for all my fellow Hokies who were still in Blacksburg. It still doesn't make any sense. We had a friend from church call us and ask about it later that evening, along with some of my family members who thought I was still a student there (lol). My church even said a special prayer for Hokie Nation the following Sunday. It still seemed surreal.
I get more pensive each successive April 16th, especially now that I live further from Blacksburg now (you all know I'm at Georgia now... and if you didn't know, now you do), but even more so now that I have two kids of my own to raise, and my daughter is already a diehard Hokie at the age of 2 1/2.
As I sit at my office computer wearing the VT hoodie I bought from the University Bookstore on the night of the Texas A&M game (the Isabel game), I'm actually watching some of these tributes and seeing some of these stories for the first time. Each one takes me back to that day, which in turn reminds me of all the good that I experienced during my five years in Blacksburg.
Meeting my wife.
A few dozen Thursdays and Saturdays (and one Sunday) in Lane Stadium.
Some of the best professors and instructors I've found anywhere.
Hokie Grill, Owens, and West End.
Blacksburg Weather.
Singing with the Enlightened Gospel Choir, and being a part of the IMPACT Movement.
The strong underlying sense of community and camaraderie in the entire area, no matter what differences individuals might have had.
That's my experience from the good ol' 24060, and no gunman or psychopath can take that away from me. And that's the experience I will tell my children about when they ask me to tell them stories about Virginia Tech.
God bless the Hokies.
Curtis Granderson (now of the New York Mets) always pays tribute to Virginia Tech on this day. In particular, Brian Bluhm, who was a huge Tigers/Granderson fan.
As a Mets and Hokies fan I really love Grandy. Great player and even better person.
On April 16, 2007, I was just an 8th grader in Annandale, VA but I was already a big Hokie fan. My uncle had graduated in the mid-90's so I was a huge supporter of Hokie athletics. Although I was too young at the time to fully understand the magnitude of what had happened, the community and togetherness that was displayed in those following weeks really showed me what it meant to be a Hokie. I am now a junior here at Tech and could not be more proud of this place I call home.
One victim in particular really hit close to home with me. Mary Karen Read was a graduate of Annandale High School (my alma mater) in 2006. Although I did not know her personally, many of my classmates and teachers at Annandale described her as loving and one of the kindest people you'd ever meet. At my first high school football game as a freshman, the administration placed a bench and tree near the endzone in her honor. It definitely was an emotional experience but definitely helped me connect with Mary and the victims in a special way.
Her we remember page can be viewed here: Mary
I was a Junior in High School when it happened. Being from NJ it was really my first experience with anything Virginia Tech related. I was home from school for some reason and I remember just sitting on my computer reading the headlines as the numbers kept rising. I remember watching how the entire community seemed to come together during such a horrible time.
It felt like it hit close to me as well. Mike Pohle was from the public high school I would have attended had I not gone to Catholic school. Just the fact that there was someone that was affected by this tragedy that was less than a mere 10 miles from my house was unbelievable. I made sure that whenever I stopped by the memorial I stood in front of his name. I always imagined coming from where we came from to Blacksburg how it was even possible for such evil to touch him. I never knew him but for me he gave me a real face to recognize in this tragedy.
Not sure if anyone saw Eddie Royal's facebook video, but see below:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152141404580787
(side note, I tried to embed it but couldn't, sorry. I assume Facebook videos embed differently than Youtube.)
Every April 16th I wear my Hokies United shirt. Its getting to be that I only wear it once a year now. I was a junior in 2007 and I had Dr. Loganathan for fluid mechanics that semester. I had already had him for measurements my sophomore year so I knew what to expect when it came to the sweater vests, the pocket protector with a pristine piece of chalk, and the erasing of the chalk board at the beginning of every class. He was an amazing professor and I still remember how devastating it was to get the word that he was one of the 32. I'm not ashamed to admit that I threw up a prayer to him for help on the fluids problems on both the EIT and the PE exams. I passed both so it must have helped. I have an immense amount of respect for Dr. Widdowson for coming in and teaching the fluids classes for the rest of the semester. Being a CEE I knew a lot of the 32 and I still can't walk past the memorial without tearing up. I do think about the 32 often and I don't think that will ever change.
Live for 32...
I lived on the fourth floor of East AJ, just down the hall from the first shooting. I woke up to the sirens pulling up to the building. I was walking to chem lab and was told to turn around at the Drillfield. One of the guys walking back told me he thought he heard gunshots. We thought that was impossible (especially after the escaped convict incident). If only we knew then... Live for 32 today and every day.
I miss VT everyday, thinking of everyone today and wishing we could be together. For everyone who went to VT, lived in Blacksburg, or has some tie to the area.....it is days like these that make us all special and stronger people despite the pain that it brings.
I was 2,425 miles away from my sister that day. A month later I never hugged someone so hard in my life.
I can't personally relate to what happened, but through my sister I was able to take away three valuable lessons I learned from the Hokie community through its resiliency and resolve: Remember to say "I love you" to the ones you care about. Don't take for granted that which inspires you. And don't ever be even just the tiniest bit shy to show your pride and colors. Because there are 32 Hokies looking down on us begging us to tell our family and friends we love them a little more often, to go chase the hell out of our dreams, and to scream back "Hokies!" whenever you hear "Let's go!".
I transferred some years later, and was able to experience ceremonies on 4/16 such as the 3.2 Run for Remembrance in 2011, which was technically cancelled due to weather, where 400+ Hokies still showed up to run. The whole experience and feeling of it all is still so, so humbling.
April 16th is undoubtedly the darkest day in Virginia Tech history, but because of the way the community was shaped from the events that transpired, makes it the most humbling day as well. It's a testament to how truly incredible Hokie Nation is.
#neVerforgeT
Philly Hokies 3.2 mile 'Walk in Remembrance' April 12, 2014:
GO HOKIES!