Blog: Virginia Tech remembers

4:51 p.m.

The sound of piano music floats out of the War Memorial Chapel. It has all day.

The chapel has become a solemn place for quiet remembrance. Inside just a few people sit before an altar covered in white flowers and candles. A young woman in the chapel is quietly weeping. Tissues are on every bench so they are available when needed.

In the student center is a place where students can go for quiet meditation. There’s also a chess game.

Earlier there was a dance performance and an open microphone at a local coffee shop - outlets for expression.

The final piece is a candle light vigil on the Drill Field, like the one held a few nights after the shooting last year.

While today has been a day of mourning, it has also been a day of resilience, of hope, of remembering and of moving forward.

4:02 p.m.

Large pieces of paper are spread out on a table in the Commonwealth Ballroom in Squires Student Center.

There, people are writing messages to the Hokie family, many of which are from relatives and visitors expressing support.

One reads “Forever in our hearts beautiful 32 angels. You will never be forgotten.“

Another reads “4/16/08. We knew this day would be difficult and saddening but my hope is to remember the great things that all of you stood for. Incredible people for sure. Every one of you. Always in our hearts! Never forget. May God be with your family and friends during this hard time. Hokies United.“

In the background is a live shot of the memorial as people still work their way around the stones placed in remembrance of the 32 victims.

3:13 p.m.

In one of the ballrooms at the Squires Student Center is an art project.

Sitting on a series of tables are boxes for each of the victims and in front of them sit stacks of cards and envelopes so people can leave a wish or a blessing for the victims. Those boxes will be sealed and will not be opened.

Kites are also being painted with messages to fly in the warm spring sunshine.

In the center of the room is a spiral of stones. Students and visitors are picking out a stone that calls to them and are painting those stones in support or remembrance of April 16, 2007. Some say “Never forget” and others say “We will prevail” and others stones are remembrances for specific victims.

The painted stones are gathering a crowd in the yard outside.

The stones are meant to signify moving forward while still remembering.

2:46 p.m.

Frisbees and footballs are flying through the air on the Drill Field like it’s any other spring day.

Off to one side of the field though, family and friends of some of the victims are lying in the grass for three minutes in protest. Three minutes is how long it takes for a person to buy a gun at a gun show.

Anne Goddard’s son was shot four times.

“Every day I am grateful beyond measure that he survived and I am mournful of those who did not,“ Goddard said. “Every day, 32 people die from gun violence.“

Peter Read’s daughter Mary died in Norris Hall while she was in French class.

“This is a profoundly respectful act of love and remembrance,“ Read said. “It’s a simple message from a family of a fallen Hokie to all the other survivors and Hokies gathered here in name and in spirit.“

2:25 p.m.

A protest begins at the edge of the Drill Field. Family and friends of some of the victims spoke about how the loophole that allows a person to buy a gun at a gunshow without a background can lead to more tragedy.

Alison St. Onge told the small crowd that gathered about how she was studying overseas when she heard the news that her best friend, Nicole White, died in the shooting.

“These people were our friends, our professors, our family, either by blood or loving values,“ St. Onge said. “Through us, they can still live on.“

The lie-in, she said, is a chance to show people that the victims will not be forgotten.

“Nicole is with me every time I watch Law and Order ... She is with me every time I open a bottle of blush,“ she said. “I lost my best friend.“

1:02 p.m.

Tissues sit on the counter for the visitors to the April 16: Remembrance, Recognition and Healing exhibit in the Squires Student Center.

And the tissues are needed. The photographs and memorabilia bring tears as students remember how the campus and the community came together in the wake of the worst school shooting in U.S. history.

The photos depict the media siege and the emergency vehicles that responded. They depict the makshift memorial and the anonymous things left at the memorial by a community in mourning. They depict strength of the Hokie Nation through remembering and healing.

Students are handing out orange and maroon ribbons to pin on the visitors’ shirts, so those who weren’t wearing Hokie colors now are.

The student center is now the center for many of the remaining rememberance events.

11:58 a.m.

A long line snakes around the memorial and spills onto the Drill Field. People carrying flowers to place at the stone are waiting.

Photographers and videographers are snapping photographs as people file through the line.

A woman sits in the grass holding a sign that says “Jesus Saves.”

Inside the Squires Student Center, students are grabbing lunch while others wait in line to see the memorial art exhibit.

11:29 a.m.

The names are being read aloud.

Alameddine Ross Adallah – loved roller-blading music and all types of music particularly jazz. He loved life, cheering people up and making people laugh.

Christopher James Bishop – dearly loved husband, devoted son, gentle colleague. He was convinced that studying foreign languages was fundamental to understanding humanity.

Brian R. Bluhm – A civil engineering teaching assistant. He loved God as shown through his friendliness, kindness, warm smile and memorable laugh.

Ryan Christopher Clark – Known as “Stack” to his friends. He had an infectious smile and laugh. He was a collector of friends.

Austin Michelle Cloyd – lived life boldly and with purpose. A brilliant mind, compassionate heart and an iron will.

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak – a passionate and inspiring teacher of French. She embraced a life filled with long family hikes in the forest with flower-filled home gardens.

Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva – came to Virginia from Peru. An international studies major who dreamed of bringing people together and making the world peaceful.

Kevin Granata – a prolific, visionary scientist who believed theoretical and empirical research could change the world.

Matthew Gregory Gwaltney – deeply concerned with the environment. He was honest, generous and intelligent. A valued role model and mentor.

Caitlin Millar Hammaren – A contagious smile and eyes that sparkled. She made everyone feel like her best friend. She was a teacher without trying.

Jeremy Michael Herbstritt – discovered the first West Nile virus infected mosquito in Centre County, Penn. He was passionate about life, family and friends.

Rachel Elizabeth Hill – loved to read. She was always prepared and diligent and was dedicated to glorifying God in all she did.

Emily Jane Hilsher – Wise beyond her years. She insisted in fairness in everything and always wanted others to be happy.

Jarrett Lee Lane – a fun loving man full of spirit and a caring heart. He was a friend to all he met. He was a serious student who lived life to the fullest.

Matthew Joseph La Porte – relished the challenge of the Corps of Cadets. He was creative, considerate and mature. A cadet and a person with unlimited potential.

Henry J. Lee Henh Ly– extremely bubbly. An open smile and a zany personality. Ninth of tenth children, he loved his family and in return was treasured by them.

Liviu Librescu – A Holocaust survivor, he was determined to become an engineer despite the challenges of World War II and living in communist Russia. He embodied profound courage throughout his life – even in his final moments.

G.V. Loganathan – “The best professor I ever had,” one student said. He was an accomplished scholar, and some of America’s most respected hydrology and water resources experts.

Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan – calm, caring, talented and always ready to help. A radiant and contagious smile, he cemented friendships. Patient, wise and compassionate.

Lauren Ashley McCain – tribal member of the Choctaw Nation. She cared deeply about people and strove for excellence. She hoped to travel abroad and share her faith – and has.

Daniel Patrick O’Neil – scientist, artist, guitarist, composer and budding civil and environmental engineer. He liked running, backpacking, biking, skateboarding and Red Sox baseball.

Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz – research and teaching assistant in civil engineering. He was dedicated, patient and responsible, passionate about engineering, his wife, his family and life.

Minal Hiralal Panchal – strengthened her family with childlike enthusiasm, infectious laughter and a kind heart. The apple of her parent’s eye.

Erin Nicole Peterson – warm, magnetic personality, anchored by a sound moral compass. She lived joyfully and shared that joy with family and friends.

Michael Steven Pohle Jr. – Little Mike was innately curious. He was a seeker of knowledge and despite adversity; he shaped himself into a wonderful, caring person.

Julia Kathleen Pryde – A dedicated environmentalist, she was warm, accepting and open to diverse people and ideas and embraced all challenges with enthusiasm.

Mary Karen Read – deeply faithful in every aspect in her life. She relished being as big sister. She was always helping others.

Reema Joseph Samaha – exceptionally close to her parents and siblings and held lifelong friends. She traveled the Middle East and embraced her Lebanese heritage.

Waleed Mohamed Shaalan – a loving husband and father, he was the central member of the Blacksburg Muslim community. He was known for his friendly wave and broad smile.

Leslie Geraldine Sherman – an inspiring young woman who could do it all and excel. She had immeasurable integrity, courage and strength.

Maxine Shelly Turner – quirky, motivated and ambitious. She was fiercely independent and helped found Tech’s first chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon, a sorority for female engineers.

Nicole Regina White – She was always giving, a volunteer for the local animal shelter, the battered women’s shelter and an EMT in Smithfield.

Gov. Tim Kaine called on all those in the Hokie community to honor the memories of these 32 by volunteering the community.

“If Virginia Tech wanted to be represented by 32 people that would tell the story of who this university is and more importantly aspires to be, those 32 descriptions were so moving… And make us mourn the lost promise,” Kaine said. “The world was cheated on April 16th one year ago, cheated of the accomplishments that were surely to come from their extraordinary lives.“

10:43 a.m.

The Drill Field is now packed. Many people are standing; others brought blankets or lawn chairs.

It’s not just students who are out here – it’s parents and friends, little brothers and sisters, alumni, and those who never want to forget the tragedy that brought them all together.

Some are trying to suppress their tears.

A plane is flying sweeping circles around the campus. A few men stand atop Burruss Hall looking down on the crowd.

Everyone’s in place and the ceremony has begun…

“An entire year has passed since the heart rendering events,” said the University’s President Charles Steger said. “All of our lives were changed that day. We gather here at the symbolic heart of this university … to give some comfort to each other and remember those that were lost.”

10:19 a.m.

The Drill Field’s green is now dotted with maroon and orange as Virginia Tech’s Hokies begin to come together to remember.

The University’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble is playing and the sound is carried across the field by the large speakers erected for the ceremony.

The mood is quiet and somber as people find their spot on the field. Some are leaning on others for support and providing hugs as they come together to honor those that lost their lives on a day few will ever forget.

The official ceremony is set to begin in less than 15 minutes.

9:24 a.m.

On most days the Virginia Tech campus is alive with students hustling to classes. This morning, it’s quiet. The few sounds that punctuate the morning are from the news crews checking their sound connections, or discussing their coverage plans.

Flags are flying at half staff throughout the town.

Police from various colleges, including Bridgewater College and George Mason University, are on hand. Troopers with the Virginia State Police are here too. Members of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad are standing nearby watching as the set up for the morning’s ceremony continues.

Standing before the 32 stones are two cadets, watching as loved one add flowers to the bouquets that sit in front of the memorial stones. Only a few students stand on the Drill Field watching in silence.

The orchestra is set up and ready to play.

The community is ready to remember.