Mourners gather at the makeshift memorial on the Virginia Tech drill field honor the 33 dead. Hundreds of people continued visit from all over the world to bring memorials. (Michael Kiernan/Virginia Tech courtesy photo)
E-mail from Virginia Tech Provost Mark McNamee
- April 20: The love for Virginia Tech shines
- April 22: Memorials bring tears
- April 23: Students return, faculty is terrific
- April 24: Roses and reckoning
- April 25: Back to routine — and recovery
April 22 e-mail from Mark McNamee: Memorials bring tears
UC Davis friends,
I am sending along some additional thoughts based on Saturday's events. We are continuing to receive phenomenal outpourings of support.
Our community here at Virginia Tech is truly remarkable. Everyone is wearing orange and maroon, and signs, flags, flowers and people are everywhere.
Yesterday Carole and I attended three services, two for faculty members and one for an 18-year student whose father is a professor.
The student funeral was especially heart-breaking since many of her friends spoke about the brilliance and passion of Austin Michelle. Her roommate even spoke about her.
Bagpiper playing and congregation in tears
There was a bagpiper playing and the entire congregation (over 700) was in tears mixed with smiles about some of the wonderful stories. Carole and I were especially touched since the family moved to Blacksburg just before Austin's senior year in high school, just like Katie.
They seemed very much alike (except that Austin was a 6-foot redhead with beautiful curls). At the faculty services many of the injured students who were saved by the professors were present. At one of the faculty funerals, the music was all Irish, and I felt the playing of "O Danny Boy" very deeply.
Austin's dad wrote some words that I want to share. He didn't have the last word before the casket was closed because he said he never got the last word with Austin.
"Today we hurt so badly. Our hearts are broken and crushed. Our loved ones are gone, but their spirits and dreams can live within us.
‘At one of the faculty funerals, the music was all Irish, and I felt the playing of "O Danny Boy" very deeply.’
Put our hearts back together
"We must put our hearts back together with love, forgiveness, and hope. The dreams and hopes of 32 precious people have, for the moment, lost a means of fulfillment. But these dreams and hopes must not die.
"Our daughter dreamed of a better world, a world of justice, love, and caring for everyone. I feel in my heart that her classmates and teachers shared these dreams.
"We must honor our loved ones by making their dreams our own, by using our voices, our hands, and our resources to achieve what they wanted for us, for themselves, and for their children, and for the grandchildren we will never know, but whose places on this Earth will be taken by other children who are just as precious."
The students are eager to get back to school. We have hundreds of counselors ready to serve, and the faculty have been great in preparing the students for the first day.
Katie, Carole and I walked over to the drill field yesterday to visit the memorials. Hundreds of people continue to come to the drill field from all over the world to bring memorials. Young schoolchildren have signed big posters with messages of hope and love.
We are recovering and we will keep in touch.
Love,