Robert Siegel and Michele Norris summarize the main news of the day from Virginia Tech, including brief obituary notices from Monday’s killings including Reema Samaha, 18, a freshman from Centreville, Va.; Caitlin Hammaren, 19, from upstate New York; and professors Kevin Granata and James Bishop.
Copyright © 2007 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required. ROBERT SIEGEL, host: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I’m Robert Siegel. MICHELE NORRIS, host: And I’m Michele Norris. In Blacksburg, Virginia, today, more details are coming to light about yesterday’s terrible shootings and the student who did the killing. SIEGEL: Police say he was Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old English major at Virginia Tech. He was raised in Northern Virginia, near Washington, D.C., and he was born in South Korea. Fellow students say he was a loner. He often ate by himself in the cafeteria and sometimes didn’t even respond to greeting. NORRIS: This afternoon, Virginia Tech held a convocation to memorialize 32 people who were gunned down yesterday morning. (Soundbite of music) NORRIS: President Bush and the first lady went to Blacksburg from Washington to attend the service with the members of the Virginia Tech community. (Soundbite of music) SIEGEL: We’re going to take a moment now to tell you what we know about some of the victims of yesterday’s massacre. NORRIS: The shooting began in a dorm, and the two students who died there were Ryan Clark and Emily Hilscher. He was 22 years old, a month away from graduation with a triple major in psychology, biology and English, and a member of the Marching Virginians pep band. SIEGEL: She was a 19-year-old freshman known as an animal lover in her hometown of Woodville, Virginia. In fact, she was studying animal and poultry sciences. On MySpace, she wrote that she’s interested, in her words, in pretty much everything except history. NORRIS: Thirty people were gunned down in a classroom building, among them students Matthew La Porte from Dumont, New Jersey; Henry Lee, who was 20 and who grew up in Roanoke, Virginia; and Reema Samaha, an 18-year-old freshmen from Centerville, Virginia. She and the shooter attended the same high school but apparently did not know each other. Ms. LOU ANNE MCNABB(ph) (Family Friend of Reema Samaha): I know she loved dance, she loved acting. I know she was learning French; she was very good in French. NORRIS: Lou Anne McNabb is a long-time family friend in Centerville who knew Reema Samaha from the time she was born. Ms. MCNABB: She won the talent show last year doing a great belly dance -beautiful outfit, beautiful dance. NORRIS: McNabb says Samaha is survived by her parents, an older sister, and an older brother who was a graduate of Virginia Tech. SIEGEL: Caitlin Hammaren, 19 years old, was an only child. She grew up in Westtown, New York, in upstate New York. Martha Murray is the superintendent of the Minisink Valley School District, where Hammaren went to high school. Ms. MARTHA MURRAY (Superintendent, Minisink Valley School District): And she was a wonderful music student. She played the violin in the All-County Chorus, but she could always be seen on the risers singing in a concert. She was not only a member of the mixed chorus but she was the president of the mixed chorus. And then she belonged to a more select group of singers, special singers, called our chamber choir. So she was quite a talented musician. SIEGEL: Caitlin Hammaren sang alto, says Martha Murray, and her friends called her Katie. NORRIS: At least four professors and instructors were killed yesterday at Norris Hall. G.V. Loganathan taught civil and environmental engineering. SIEGEL: Liviu Librescu taught engineering and math. NORRIS: Kevin Granata taught biomechanics. He did research about orthopedics before coming to Virginia Tech. He and his students were looking into muscle and reflex response and robotics. SIEGEL: And Jamie Bishop, who taught German, was a relative newcomer to Virginia Tech. A couple of years ago, he left the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to move to Blacksburg with his wife, Stephanie Hofer. She’s on the faculty of the Department of Foreign Languages at Virginia Tech. Copyright © 2007 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR’s prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio.
April 18, 2007
When a gunman opened fire in a classroom building on the Virginia Tech campus Monday, he took the lives of at least 30 people, including students and faculty members. Two more students died in an earlier shooting at a dorm. Here, a brief look at those victims whose names have been confirmed by NPR:
Ross Alameddine Alameddine, 20, was a sophomore English major from Saugus, Mass. A memorial page on Facebook.com describes him as “an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy.” Alameddine was killed in the classroom building, Norris Hall, Robert Palumbo, a family friend, told the Associated Press. Photo from Facebook.com.
Christopher James Bishop Bishop, 35, was a German instructor teaching in a classroom in Norris Hall before he was killed. He moved from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to Virginia Tech two years ago when his wife got a job there. Bishop, known as Jamie, grew up in the small town of Pine Mountain, Ga. He attended the University of Georgia and also spent time in Germany as a Fulbright scholar. In addition to languages and teaching, Bishop loved art and technology. His friend, Jacques Morin, said Bishop was passionate about everything.
Brian Bluhm Bluhm, a graduate student, was working toward a master’s degree in water resources, according to the Virginia Tech Web site. He had received an undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech in civil engineering. On a memorial page at Facebook.com, Amy Miley of Virginia Tech wrote, “Brian was a very happy individual. You couldn’t help but smile when you were around him. Let’s all shed our tears and then smile in his memory.” Photo from Facebook.com
Ryan Clark Clark, 22, was a senior with a triple major in biology, English and psychology. The native of Columbia County, Ga., was known by the nickname “Stack.” Clark was one of the first two victims killed at the Virginia Tech campus on Monday. He was a student resident adviser at the West Ambler Johnston dormitory, where he was gunned down. Clark was a just a month away from graduation. He was active in the school’s “Marching Virginians” band. He had hoped to pursue a doctorate in psychology. Photo from Facebook.com
Austin Cloyd Cloyd was an international studies major from Blacksburg, Va. Cloyd’s father teaches accounting at Virginia Tech, her former pastor, the Rev. Terry Harter, told the Associated Press. The family moved to Virginia in 2005 from Champaign, Ill., where they were active members of Harter’s church. Harter told the Associated Press that Cloyd was a “very delightful, intelligent, warm young lady.” She played basketball and volleyball in high school and went on mission trips to Appalachia, he said. Photo from Facebook.com
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak Couture-Nowak was a French instructor at Virginia Tech. Her daughter, Francine Dulong, told The Daily News of Halifax, “My mother was a very big opponent of guns; she really abhorred violence, especially with guns. I definitely could see her fighting to the end.” Richard Landry, a spokesman for the francophone school board in Truro, Nova Scotia, told the Associated Press Couture-Nowak was one of three mothers who pushed for funding to begin a French school in the Canadian town, where she lived in the 1990s. Photo from Facebook.com
Kevin Granata Granata, 45, was a professor of engineering science and mechanics. He had served in the military and later conducted orthopedic research in hospitals before coming to Virginia Tech. He and his students researched muscle and reflex response and robotics. Ishwar Puri, head of the school’s engineering science and mechanics department, says Granata was one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country, and was working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.
Matthew Gwaltney Gwaltney, 24, of Chester, Va., was a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering. Gwaltney was close to finishing his degree. His high school principal, Robert Stansberry, told the Associated Press that Gwaltney had been named “Best guy to take home to your parents” in high school, where he was also sports editor for the school newspaper. Photo from Facebook.com
Caitlin Hammaren Hammaren, 19, was a sophomore majoring in international studies and French. She graduated in 2005 from Minisink Valley High School in Slate Hill, N.Y., and was a talented musician, said Dr. Martha Murray, superintendent of Minisink Valley Central Schools. Hammaren played the violin and sang. She also was a strong student and wanted to go into international politics, Murray said. “She actually has been described as someone who was like a magnet for other kids and a role model. Always very positive,” Murray said. Students at the high school have talked about Hammaren in their classes, and school officials are trying to do what her father told Murray he wanted them to do: “Celebrate her.” Photo from Facebook.com.
Jeremy Herbstritt Herbstritt, 27, was a graduate student in civil engineering. Family members said in a statement that he was a good storyteller and a fun-loving person with a great sense of humor. He liked to kayak, run and hike and loved the outdoors. They also described him as “a bright young man, a hard worker and a wonderful son and brother.” Photo courtesy of the Herbstritt family
Rachael Elizabeth Hill Hill, 18, a freshman, graduated from Grove Avenue Christian School in Henrico County, Va. Her high school superintendent and pastor, Clay Fogler, said in a statement that “the world has lost one of its brightest prospects.” He said she was beautiful, intelligent and a leader, and she had a close relationship with her parents. “One of her beloved scriptures is Song of Solomon, 8:5 — ‘Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?’” he said. “Rachael saw herself as the one coming out of the wilderness and needing to lean on her Savior more and more.” On a memorial page set up on Facebook.com, Hilary Albert of East Carolina wrote, “God wanted another beautiful and perfect angel up there in Heaven with him.” Photo from Facebook.com
Emily Hilscher Hilscher, 19, was a freshman majoring in animal and poultry sciences. A native of Woodville, Va., Hilscher was a 2006 graduate of Rappahannock County High School. She was known around her hometown as an animal lover, and had worked at a veterinarian’s office there. On a memorial page on Facebook.com, Lauren Kintner of Virginia Tech recalled, “Emily was amazing. She was so filled with life and always had something wonderful to say or was always making me smile.” Hilscher was one of two people shot at the West Ambler Johnston dorm; the other was Ryan Clark. Photo from Facebook.com
Jarrett Lane Lane, 22, was a senior studying civil engineering. He had been valedictorian of his high school class in Narrows, Va. According to Lane’s friend, Justin Waldron, the 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. Waldron said in a Facebook entry that Lane was “loved by all and hated by none.” Photo from Facebook.com
Matthew La Porte La Porte, 20, was a sophomore from Dumont, N.J., majoring in university studies. He was a 2005 graduate of Carson Long Military Institute, a private boys’ school in New Bloomfield, Pa., that offers military training, according to its alumni association’s Web site. During a graduation speech, he said that the school had changed his life, according to the Associated Press. “I know that Carson Long was my second chance,” he said. He was attending Virginia Tech on an Air Force ROTC scholarship and also was a member of the Corps of Cadets. Photo from Carson Long Military Institute.
Henry Lee Lee, 20, was a freshman majoring in computer engineering. He attended William Fleming High School in Roanoke, Va. His principal, Susan Willis, said Lee came to the United States from China in elementary school and didn’t speak English. He changed his name from “Henh” to “Henry” when he became a U.S. citizen last year. Lee, who was the salutatorian of his class, was reluctant to speak at his graduation in June because he was nervous about talking in front of thousands of people. But he eventually agreed, and Willis said it was “a proud moment for him.” Teachers at William Fleming High who saw Lee over Christmas break said he was smiling and upbeat about his future at Virginia Tech. Photo from Facebook.com
Liviu Librescu Librescu, 76, was an engineering science and mathematics lecturer. He was among the victims at Norris Hall. Students say Librescu tried to keep the gunman from entering the room so that others could jump out of the windows to save themselves. Born and educated in Romania, Librescu was internationally known for his research in aeronautical engineering. He was a Holocaust survivor; Monday was Holocaust Remembrance Day. Engineering department head Ishwar Puri said Librescu, who was born in a communist country, had a “great thirst for freedom.”
G. V. Loganathan Loganathan, 51, was a professor of civil and environmental engineering. He was born in southern India and had been a professor at Virginia Tech since 1982. He taught courses in hydraulics, hydrology and water resources engineering and was a core adviser for undergraduates in the department. His students described him as one of their favorites, and he received several awards for excellence in teaching. On a Virginia Tech Web site, one colleague, Dr. William Knocke, described Loganathan as “truly one of the most outstanding classroom educators within the College of Engineering.”
Partahi Lumbantoruan Lumbantoruan, 34, was a civil engineering doctoral student from Indonesia. His family told the Associated Press he wanted to become a teacher in the United States and they sold property and cars to pay his tuition. “We tried everything to completely finance his studies in the United States,” said his father, Tohom Lumbantoruan. “We only wanted him to succeed in his studies, but … he met a tragic fate.” Lombantoruan’s aunt, Christina Panjaitan, described her nephew as hardworking and intelligent. Photo: Ahmad Zamroni/AFP/Getty Images
Lauren McCain McCain, 20, of Hampton, Va., was an international studies major. On her MySpace.com page, she said Jesus Christ was the love of her life. Leonard Riley, a former pastor at her church, Restoration Church-Phoebus Baptist, told The Virginian-Pilot he has known the family for about 10 years. “You meet a lot of young people in your life, but not a lot will make the impression that Lauren did,” he said. “To know her was to love her. She was always ready and willing to do for someone else.” Photo from MySpace.com
Daniel O’Neil O’Neil, 22, was an engineering graduate student from Lincoln, R.I. His friend Steve Craveiro told the Associated Press that O’Neil was a hard worker and someone who never got into trouble. “He loved his family. He was pretty much destined to be extremely successful. He just didn’t deserve to have happen what happened,” Craveiro said. O’Neil also played guitar and wrote songs that he recorded and posted on his Web site. Photo from Facebook.com
Juan Ortiz Ortiz, 26, a graduate student studying civil engineering, was from Puerto Rico. “He was an extraordinary son, what any father would have wanted,” Ortiz’s father, also named Juan Ramon Ortiz, told the Associated Press. Neighbors of the family in Bayamon, a San Juan suburb, told the Associated Press that Ortiz was a quiet and dedicated son who played in a salsa band with his father.
Minal Panchal Panchal, 26, was a graduate student from India who wanted to become an architect. Her friend, Chetna Parekh, who lives in Borivali, India, told the Associated Press that Panchal was thrilled when she was admitted to Virginia Tech last year. “She was a brilliant student and very hardworking. She was focused on getting her degree and doing well,” Parekh said. Photo from Facebook.com
Daniel Perez Cueva Perez Cueva, 21, a native of Peru, was majoring in international relations. Friend Hugo Quintero described him as “very responsible with schoolwork, very mature” but with a humorous side. The friends, who met in the lunch line in high school in Woodbridge, Va., liked to joke around. Quintero said Perez Cueva had been excited about applying for internships with the French and Italian embassies in Washington.
Erin Nichole Peterson Peterson was a freshman majoring in international studies. She had been a basketball standout at Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va., and was inducted into the National Honor Society as a high school senior in 2005. Peterson’s high school basketball coach, Pat Deegan, said she was a good student and excellent athlete, who “made it her business to make everyone around her a better person.” He said members of the basketball team shared anecdotes about how Peterson reached out when they were new to the school or nervous about playing their first varsity game. Peterson played on the varsity team for three years and was captain her senior year. Seung-hui Cho, identified as the gunman by police, attended the same high school. Photo from Facebook.com
Michael Pohle Jr. Pohle, 23, of Flemington, N.J., was a biology major close to graduating from Virginia Tech. Pohle had played football and lacrosse while attending Hunterdon Central Regional High School. “He was a great, all-around kid, and it’s just tragic that his life was cut so short in such a senseless act of violence,” his high school vice principal, Craig Blanton, told The Star-Ledger of Newark. Photo from Facebook.com
Julia Pryde Pryde, 23, was a graduate student from Middletown, N.J. She had been in G.V. Loganathan’s advanced hydrology class when she was killed, her adviser, Mary Leigh Wolfe, told the Asbury Park Press. Wolfe, a professor of biological systems at Virginia Tech, said Pryde graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biological systems engineering last spring. “She always tried to make a difference herself, rather than try to ask someone else to do something,” Wolfe told the newspaper. Wolfe had traveled with Pryde to Ecuador last year to study water systems there.
Mary Karen Read Read, 19, was a freshman from Annandale, Va. She hadn’t yet picked a major at Virginia Tech. “I think she wanted to try to spread her wings,” her aunt, Karen Kuppinger, told the Associated Press. Read, who was part of an Air Force family, was born in South Korea and had also lived in Texas and California. Photo from Facebook.com
Reema Samaha Samaha, 18, was a freshman from a close-knit Centreville, Va., family of Lebanese descent. She loved acting, dance and drama and was studying French, said Luann McNabb, a family friend. Samaha was close to her older brother and sister, and her family traveled to Beirut to visit her mother’s family almost every summer. Samaha had attended Westfield High School, where she won a talent show last year with a belly dance, McNabb said. Victim Erin Peterson and gunman Seung-hui Cho attended the same high school. Photo courtesy of Vincent Posbic
Waleed Mohamed Shaalan Shaalan, originally from Egypt, was a doctoral student in civil engineering. He began attending Virginia Tech in the fall of 2006. According to the Muslim Students Association at Virginia Tech, he had been married for three years and had a 1-year-old son. His roommate, Fahad Pasha, said on the association’s Web site that Shaalan was planning to bring his family to Virginia soon. “He was the simplest and nicest guy I ever knew. We would be studying for our exams and he would go buy a cake and make tea for us,” Pasha said. Photo from Facebook.com
Leslie Sherman Sherman was a sophomore majoring in history and international relations. She graduated in 2005 from West Springfield High School in Springfield, Va. Her friend Buddy Miller, also a sophomore at Virginia Tech, said Sherman wanted to join the Peace Corps after college. Sherman loved the Russian language and Russian history, Miller said. He described her as someone who was always happy and optimistic. Photo from Facebook.com
Maxine Turner Turner, a senior from Vienna, Va., was majoring in chemical engineering. She was also a mentor to fellow chemical engineering student Beth Fairchild. They were both members of an engineering sorority, Alpha Omega Epsilon, and shared a love of Tae Kwon Do. Fairchild writes this about her sorority “big sister:” “Max was, if anything, a great friend. She’d always be there for you, through the good times and bad, and was only a call away. She was very peace-loving and friendly, which only accentuates the horrible tragedy that befell her.” Turner died in a German-language class taught by Christopher James Bishop. Photo from Facebook.com
Nicole White White, 20, was a junior majoring in international studies. Chance Hellmann, who graduated with White from Smithfield High School in Virginia and attends Virginia Tech, told the Daily Press of Hampton Roads that White worked cleaning stables and caring for horses at a barn in high school. She was known for loving animals and worked summers as a lifeguard. Photo courtesy of the White family
