Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20, Saugus, Mass.

April 18, 2007 7:21 PM

  "I just got word he was of the ones killed in the classroom," said a sobbing Lynnette Alameddine, moments after a chaplain called to tell her that her son was among the dead, according to a report in the Boston Herald.

Earlier Tuesday night, Lynnette Alameddine spent hours calling police and hospitals, which she said were unresponsive to her frantic pleas for information.

Ross Alameddine had just declared English as his major. A graduate of Austin Preparatory School in Reading, Mass., he was called a "bright and engaged student" by his former headmaster Paul J. Moran.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (60) | TrackBack (0)

Jamie Bishop, 35, Pine Mountain, Ga.

April 18, 2007 7:20 PM

German professor Christopher James Bishop was among the first hit. Known as much for his gentle manner as for his signature long hair, Bishop was an avid hiker, movie buff, and Atlanta Braves fan. He received both his bachelor's and master's from the University of Georgia, and was known to collaborate with his father, an award-winning science fiction writer, on novels and short stories.

Known as Jamie, he rode his bike to campus and worked alongside his wife in the foreign languages department. Bishop taught German at Virginia Tech for two years and was in the middle of a class when the gunman entered the room and opened fire.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (34) | TrackBack (0)

Brian Bluhm, 25, Cedar Rapids, IA

April 18, 2007 7:18 PM

Originally from Ceder Rapids, Iowa, Bluhm was a graduate student in engineering who has been described by friends as an avid sports fan and a devoted member of his Bible study group. Bluhm was only one class shy of receiving his master's degree, which focused on water resources.

One friend, Bill Jones, a chemical engineering student who went to undergraduate and graduate school with Bluhm, told the Des Moines Register, "He's a great friend, had a great personality."

Click Here to See Photos Submitted by Brian Bluhm's Friends

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (22) | TrackBack (0)

Ryan Clark, 22, Martinez, Ga.

April 18, 2007 7:17 PM

Ryan "Stack" Clark, a member of the school's marching band, the Marching Virginians, and a student resident assistant, is believed to be the second victim.

Clark reportedly rushed to the aid of the first victim, Emily Jane Hilscher, and was fatally shot inside Ambler Johnson Hall.

Clark was just a month away from graduating. Bryan Clark said his twin brother was a triple major in psychology, biology and English, and stayed on Virginia Tech's campus in anticipation of graduation ceremonies in May.

"He was staying just until we could come to graduation," his brother said. "Just wrong place, wrong time, I guess," he told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Clark was in his fifth year in the band, serving as its personnel officer, according to the band's Web site. The site says Clark also enjoyed making T-shirts and intended to pursue a doctorate in psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience after graduating.

"The coroner and two sheriff deputies came by and let us know. … I still haven't quite comprehended what is going on," his brother said. "I'm not sure how long it will actually take, but at this point we just miss him and love him."

"He was the most loving person that you could ever meet," Clark's sister Nadia told “GMA.” "He loved anyone that he ever met. No matter what, he was always there. He had something sarcastic to say to make you laugh. … But he was always there to help you."

"I'd have to say he was definitely very loud, very outgoing," his friend Floyd Miller told “GMA.” "About any little thing he could get on you for, his sarcastic humor, [he was] always willing to do something for you"

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (90) | TrackBack (0)

Austin Cloyd, 18, Blacksburg, Va.

April 18, 2007 7:16 PM

Austin Cloyd, an international studies major, dreamed of one day working for the United Nations, her father told the Associated Press. Cloyd was an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Champaign, Ill., and enjoyed playing volleyball and basketball. But above all, she seemed to have a sense of social responsibility and helping people.

The Rev. Terry Harter of the First United Methodist Church told the Associated Press that "She was so inspired by an Appalachian service project that helped rehab homes, that she and her mother started a similar program in Illinois." At Virginia Tech, Cloyd was involved in an international rights organization and worked as a lifeguard at the student sports center. Cloyd would have turned 19 next week.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (44) | TrackBack (0)

Jocelyn Couture-Nowak, 49, Montreal, Canada

April 18, 2007 7:15 PM

A foreign language professor and former Montreal resident, Couture-Nowak taught at Virginia Tech with her husband Jerzy Nowak, a horticultural professor. Couture-Nowak and her husband taught at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College before moving to Virginia, where she was well liked by students and faculty.

One fellow Virginia Tech professor, Craig Brians, told "Canada AM," "She was a very nice person ... My wife often described Jocelyn as someone [who] when she'd walk into a room, just would bring a smile to the room, that even in the darkest of situations, she had something encouraging to say. She would have something uplifting to say."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (23) | TrackBack (0)

Daniel Perez Cueva, 21, Lima, Peru

April 18, 2007 7:13 PM

Daniel Perez Cueva was a native of Peru, studying international relations. His father, Flavio Perez, told RPP radio in Peru that he was trying to get a humanitarian visa from the U.S.consulate there, so he could travel to Virginiato claim his son’s body. A spokesman at the embassy said the father would "receive all the attention possible when he applies."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (27) | TrackBack (0)

Kevin Granata, 46, Toledo, OH

April 18, 2007 7:12 PM

Kevin Granata, a professor in Virginia Tech's Engineering Science and Mechanics Department, served in the military before coming to Virginia Tech. He and his students researched muscle and reflex response and robotics. Granata was described by colleagues as one of the top biomechanics researchers in the country, working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.

According to fellow engineering professor Demetri P. Telionis, Granata was successful and kind.

"With so many research projects and graduate students, he still found time to spend with his family, and he coached his children in many sports and extracurricular activities," Telionis told The Associated Press. "He was a wonderful family man. We will all miss him dearly."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (23) | TrackBack (0)

Matthew G. Gwaltney, 24, Chester, Va.

April 18, 2007 7:11 PM

From Chester, Va., Matthew Gwaltney was a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering. According to his biographical information on the Virginia Tech Web site, Gwaltney received his bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech in civil engineering in 2005, with a concentration in environmental and water resources engineering. As a graduate student, Gwaltney assisted the teaching of several undergraduate classes while continuing his research into rainfall and pollutants.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)

Caitlin Hammaren, 19, Westtown, N.Y.

April 18, 2007 7:07 PM

Caitlin Hammaren, of Westtown, N.Y., was a sophomore international studies and French major at Virginia Tech.

"She was just one of the most outstanding young individuals that I've had the privilege of working with in my 31 years as an educator," her high school principal, John P. Latini, told The Associated Press. "Caitlin was a leader among our students."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (17) | TrackBack (0)

Jeremy Michael Herbstritt, 27, Bellefonte, Pa.

April 18, 2007 7:06 PM

Jeremy Herbstritt, a Penn State graduate who was attending graduate school at Virginia Tech, was another victim in the shootings, said Paul Ruskin, spokesman for Penn State's Office of Physical Plant.

When he graduated, Herbstritt, a notorious gadfly, was named “Most Talkative” in the 1998 Bellefonte High School yearbook. According to The Associated Press, Herbstritt grew up on a small farm in central Pennsylvania, where his father, Michael, raised steer and sheep.

"He liked to work on machinery, take a lot of stuff apart and fixed it," his grandfather Thomas Herbstritt told the AP. "He was a studious kid."

Herbstritt was also reportedly an avid runner who liked to kayak. He had been an altar boy, and was involved in research on the West Nile disease while at Penn State. Herbstritt's parents were in Boston Monday to watch their daughter run in the Boston Marathon when the shootings occurred. He was a graduate student studying civil engineering at Virginia Tech, according to the student directory on the college's Web site.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (23) | TrackBack (0)

Rachel Hill, 18, Glen Allen, Va.

April 18, 2007 7:05 PM

Rachael Hill, from Henrico County, Va., lived in West Ambler Johnston Hall. She graduated from Grove Avenue Christian Academy, and school officials told the Richmond Times-Dispatch she had attended the 261-student academy from kindergarten through high school graduation where she was captain of the volleyball team. Hill was also known for spicing up her conservative school uniform with Converse high top sneakers. She played the piano, and had not yet decided on a major but was interested in biology.

In her high school yearbook, Hill chose a C.S. Lewis quotation: "God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (20) | TrackBack (0)

Emily Hilscher, 19, Woodville, Va.

April 18, 2007 7:04 PM

Emily Jane Hilscher, of Woodville, Va., was also killed in the dorm shooting. Hilscher was a freshman animal and poultry sciences major who lived next door to victim Ryan Clark. She came to Virginia Tech from rural Rappahannock County, where she was known as an animal lover, said family friend Will Nachless to The Associated Press. She "was always very friendly. Before I even knew her, I thought she was very outgoing, friendly and helpful, and she was great in chemistry."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (26) | TrackBack (0)

Jarrett Lee Lane, 22, Narrows, Va.

April 18, 2007 7:03 PM

Jarrett Lane came from the small town of Narrows, Va. The senior civil engineering student was remembered at a memorial service a day after the shootings, according to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. He was valedictorian of his high school class in 2003, an outstanding student and athlete who played in the band, and a member of numerous clubs and organizations.

In a prepared statement read at his memorial, Lane's family said, "All of us are still deeply stunned and in shock over the loss of our son, grandson and brother, Jarrett Lee Lane...He was a fun-loving young man, full of spirit. He had a caring heart and was a friend to everybody he met, both at Virginia Tech and here in Narrows. We are leaning on God’s grace in these trying hours and appreciate all the prayers, expressions of sympathy and thoughts. Our hearts go out to his classmates, friends, professors and everyone throughout the Virginia Tech community.”

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (17) | TrackBack (0)

Matt La Porte, 20, Dumont, N.J.

April 18, 2007 7:03 PM

Matthew La Porte was a sophomore from Dumont, N.J., an Air Force cadet at Virginia Tech and reportedly credited the Carson Long Military Institute in New Bloomfield, Pa., with turning his life around during his duration there in high school.

Carson Long released a statement saying, "Matthew was an exemplary student at Carson Long whose love of music and fellow cadets were an inspiration to all on campus." The tiny military academy observed two minutes of silence Tuesday in its own French class -- la Porte was gunned down while in a French class at Virginia Tech -- and moved the flag to half-staff in remembrance of its alum.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)

Henry Lee, 20, Roanoke, Va.

April 18, 2007 7:02 PM

Henry Lee was one of 10 children whose parents escaped from Vietnam. They left when Henry was 5. Lee was planning to major in computer science and French. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Lee was his high school's salutatorian with a grade-point average of 4.47. Susan Lawyer Willis, his high school principal, recalled Henry's graduation speech. "He said to the crowd, 'When I came to this country, I couldn't speak English. Now, I'm No. 2 in the class.' 

He valued his education. It was so heartfelt. It moved us all to tears. He was proud of his American citizenship," said the principal.

Lee enjoyed racquetball and frisbee, and was by all accounts a happy, upbeat person. A memorial is scheduled for him at his high school, William Fleming High School, in Roanoke, Va.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)

Liviu Librescu, 76, Ploiesti, Romania

April 18, 2007 7:01 PM

Romanian-born Liviu Librescu, an engineering science and mathematics professor at Virginia Tech, was killed in the Virginia Tech massacre. According to Librescu's son, students sent e-mails explaining that the professor had risked his life for his students by blocking the doorway of his classroom and allowing students to flee through windows. He was then fatally shot. Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, had an international reputation for his work in aeronautical engineering. He died the same day Israel marked Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (88) | TrackBack (0)

G.V. Loganathan, 51, born in Chennai, India

April 18, 2007 7:00 PM

A professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, Loganathan was teaching an advanced hydrology class in Norris Hall when he was shot by the gunman. He was born in the southern Indian city of Chennai and had been a professor at Virginia Tech since 1982, as reported by the Indianapolis Star. Logonathan had amassed numerous awards for his teaching -- the most recent in May 2006 -- and had been listed among the best 10 teachers at the college in 2001 and 2002.

In addition to teaching, Logonathan served on the faculty senate and was an adviser to approximately 75 undergraduate students. In an interview with the NDTV news channel from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, his brother G.V. Palanivel said, "We all feel like we have had an electric shock. We do not know what to do. He has been a driving force for all of us, the guiding force."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (15) | TrackBack (0)

Partahi Lumbantoruan, 34, Indonesia

April 18, 2007 6:59 PM

  An Indonesian doctoral student, Lumbantoruan studied civil engineering at Virginia Tech. Devoted to his education, he and his family sold property and cars so he could attend Virginia Tech. His father, Tohom Lumbantoruan, told The Associated Press, "We tried everything to completely finance his studies in the United States.  We only wanted him to succeed in his studies, but ... he met a tragic fate."

Lumbantoruan was known to be a hard-working student, who was in his third year of studies at Virginia Tech. Family members were planning a public burial in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)

Lauren Ashley McCain, 20, Hampton, Va.

April 18, 2007 6:58 PM

Lauren McCain, an international studies major from Hampton, Va., was shot while in class Monday in Norris Hall. McCain and her family were active members of their church, and Lauren was educated at home before going to Virginia Tech, according to the Virginia Daily Press.  On her MySpace page, she listed "the love of my life" as Jesus Christ.

McCain's parents released a statement Tuesday afternoon: "We grieve over our great loss, and yet find peace in the reality that God is worthy of our trust and we are sustained in our sorrow by that truth."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)

Daniel O’Neil, 22, Lincoln, R.I.

April 18, 2007 6:58 PM

Daniel O'Neil was a graduate student in environmental engineering, who hailed from Lincoln, R.I. He was among those killed in Norris Hall, according to Connecticut College, where O'Neil's father, Bill, is director of major gifts.

O'Neill's friend Steve Craveiro described him to The Associated Press as smart, responsible and a hard worker -- someone who never got into trouble. O'Neil graduated in 2002 from Lincoln High School and from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., before heading to Virginia, where he was also a teaching assistant.

A musician, he played guitar and wrote his own songs, which he posted on a Web site. According to Craveiro, O'Neill always had big plans. "He would come home from school over the summer and talk about projects, about building bridges and stuff like that," Craveiro said. "He loved his family. He was pretty much destined to be extremely successful. He just didn't deserve to have happen what happened."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)

Juan Ortiz, 26, Bayamón, Puerto Rico

April 18, 2007 6:57 PM

Juan Ramón Ortiz, a graduate student from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, was killed while teaching a class, according to the North Carolina News and Observer.

The teaching assistant, who was recently married, leaves his wife, Liselle Vega, also a student at Virginia Tech. Neighbors in Bayamon remembered Ortiz as a quiet, dedicated son who decorated his parents' one-story concrete house every Christmas. "He was an extraordinary son, what any father would have wanted," said Ortiz's father, also named Juan Ramón Ortiz.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)

Minal Panchal, 26, Mumbai, India

April 18, 2007 6:56 PM

Minal Panchal, a first-year master's building sciences student in the faculty of architecture, was also reported killed.

The 26-year-old from Mumbai, India, was found dead at Norris Hall, where 30 students and faculty were fatally shot, according to The Associated Press. Panchal looked forward to following in her late father's footsteps and becoming an architect. She loved cricket, the fictional character Harry Potter and drawing. Her mother, a widow who lives in India, and her brother-in-law, who lives in New Jersey, have not decided whether to send her body to India, the Indian Embassy told  AP.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)

Erin Peterson, 18, Chantilly, Va.

April 18, 2007 6:55 PM

Erin Peterson, a graduate of Westfield High School -- the same high school that the gunman attended -- was a freshman international studies major and, at 6 feet 1, the center for her high school basketball team, according to The Associated Press.

"She was just a super child," her godfather, William Lloyd, said. "Her and her dad, man, you couldn't separate them. He lost a child from cancer -- a daughter, 8 years old. A week later, [Erin] was born."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (42) | TrackBack (0)

Michael Pohle, 23, Flemington, N.J.

April 18, 2007 6:54 PM

Michael Pohle, from Flemington N.J., was known for his athletic ability and fun-loving, friendly nature. He was set to graduate in a few weeks with a degree in biological sciences.

His father, Michael Pohle Sr., told the Asbury Park Press that he was looking forward to a career in the sciences and had job interviews lined up for after graduation. "He was an absolutely great kid who loved people," Pohle Sr. said of his son. "He loved Virginia Tech. He would do anything for anybody."

Joel Nachlas, an industrial and systems engineering professor and Virginia Tech lacrosse coach, said: "There's no one who was more full of fun and life. Just a happy, fun, fun-loving kid. And everything he did, he was just always having a good time. He was making the most of it." The family intends to bring his body back to Flemington to be buried.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)

Julia Pryde, 23, Middletown, N.J.

April 18, 2007 6:53 PM

Julia Pryde was a biological systems and engineering graduate student from Middletown, N.J. A swimmer and softball player in high school, childhood friend Nicole Malone told the Asbury Park Press, "She was always having a good time." 

Malone, 20, now a student at La Salle University in Philadelphia, added, "She was never really upset about anything; she never had a frown on her face." Pryde was described by her friend as an independent spirit who excelled at her studies. She traveled to Ecuador to research  water-quality issues, and she planned to return there this summer to continue her work. Pryde was sitting in an advanced hydrology class when the gunman entered and killed many in the room, including the professor.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)

Mary Karen Read, 19, Annandale, Va.

April 18, 2007 6:52 PM

Mary Karen Read of Annandale, Va., was killed while in French class in Norris Hall  Monday. A freshman, she was born into an Air Force family in South Korea before moving to Texas and California, and finally settling down in Rochester, NY. She had yet to declare a major, her aunt Karen Kuppingertold told The Associated Press.

She considered a number of colleges before deciding on Virginia Tech, where a lot of her classmates were going. "I think she wanted to spread her wings," said Kuppinger, who said Read had struggled to adjust to the college but had recently made friends and was looking into a sorority.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)

Reema Samaha, 18, Centreville, Va.

April 18, 2007 6:52 PM

Reema Samaha, a freshman of Lebanese descent from Centreville, Va., was also killed. The 19-year-old had been a dance captain at Westfield High School, the same high school that the alleged shooter had attended. Samaha's brother, Omar, is a Virginia Tech graduate. He'd visited campus this past weekend to see his sister in a dance recital.

Samaha's father, Joseph Samaha, told CNN that his daughter was a "motivator."

"She keeps me going," Samaha said. "Dance was her life." Country and state flags were flying at half-staff at Westfield High School in her honor.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (33) | TrackBack (0)

Waleed Shaalan, 32, Egypt

April 18, 2007 6:51 PM

A graduate student in civil engineering from Egypt, Waleed Shaalan leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son.

According to the National Muslim Student Association, Shaalan began his doctoral research in Egypt but came to the United States in August 2006 when he was offered a position at Virginia Tech.

His father was also a civil engineering student, and friends say Shaalan always made time for those around him, despite juggling a hectic class schedule, research, and teaching assistant responsibilities. The Muslim Students Association has set up a memorial fund for his family.

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)

Leslie Sherman, 20, Springfield, Va.

April 18, 2007 6:50 PM

Leslie Sherman, a sophomore majoring in history from Springfield, Va., turned 20 just a week before her death, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Rebecca McMahon, a high school and college classmate, told the Dispatch that Sherman was planning on visiting Russia this summer. 

"She just had a lot of big dreams," McMahon said, "and she can't do them anymore."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)

Maxine Turner, 22, Vienna, Va.

April 18, 2007 6:50 PM

Maxine Turner of Vienna, Va., also died Monday while in a foreign language class. A senior and chemical engineering major, Turner had formed an engineering sorority for "females who never had female friends," according to the sorority's Web site.

The group was "a chance for them to meet great girls with similar interests" and to "build professional skills to help girls after graduation," she wrote on the site. Turner was just a few weeks away from graduation, and her father, Paul Turner,  told First Coast News that she only took the foreign language class as an elective. Paul Turner says his daughter "was very excited -- she was very excited about school in general."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (24) | TrackBack (0)

Nicole White, 20, Carrollton, Va.

April 18, 2007 6:49 PM

Nicole was an international studies major who loved animals and the water. A Smithfield, Va., native, White graduated with honors from Smithfield High School, and was a junior at Virginia Tech when she was gunned down while in German class.

Friends told the Virginian-Pilot that Michelle was full of life and loved to have fun. She was a lifeguard at the YMCA when at home in Smithfield. At 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 17 there was a moment of silence observed in her honor at Smithfield High School, and a writer listed on Facebook as Ginny Gwaltney, a friend from Smithfield High, said on the site, "I love you, and I'll see you again, Angelface."

April 18, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (41) | TrackBack (0)