Thursday, April 19, 2007
They Are All of Us
Over at msnbc.com, there is a slideshow showing the names and faces of many of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. It doesn't take very long to realize how diverse a group this was. Some were professors. Some were students.
Most were young, but some were middle-aged and one was old.
They were white, black, Hispanic, Far East Asian, Indian, and Hispanic. Maybe also Native American, although it's hard to tell from just the names and faces.
Not surprisingly, many were from Virginia, but they also came from other states: Georgia, Massachussetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Others came from Canada, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Romania.
One survived the Holocaust. Another spent time in Lebanon during the most recent violence there.
Ironically, one American from a military family was born in South Korea.
Some were naturally outgoing, while others were just coming into their own.
It seems as though these people had only two things in common, one being that they all came to Blacksburg.
They are all of us.
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That last line is to some degree more true in my case. Although I generally maintain a certain anonymity here by not publishing my full name, I will mention here that one of the victims -- Leslie Sherman -- has the same last name as me. We are not related, nor do I know her, but I tried to find out a little of her background.
There seems to be less information on Leslie than on many of the other victims, but I came across a short mention from last November in a community newspaper that I'm pretty sure refers to her. (Same name, same hometown, same year at VT.) If you have ever been to college, or know anyone who has, you know that one thing students usually don't want to give up is Thanksgiving at home. Well, last Thanksgiving, Leslie didn't go home. Instead, she went to New Orleans to help with the post-Katrina cleanup and feed the homeless.
A very special young woman, indeed.
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One final note. The modified VT logo above will probably turn up in a few places (it was on the homepage at the University of Florida website). It is a memorial design, but it is not related to this week's tragedy. It is available as a magnet or pin from the VT bookstore, and proceeds are divided between scholarships in honor of two Hokie alumni who gave their lives in the armed forces in the War on Terror.
Labels: Virginia Tech tragedy murder Hokie
