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Forever linked by a killer

By TIMES WIRES
Published April 22, 2007

Christopher James Bishop, 35

HOME: Pine Mountain, Ga.

SCHOOL TIE: German instructor at Virginia Tech since 2005. Helped oversee an exchange program.

NOTABLE: Was a Fulbright scholar at Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany.

Brian Bluhm, 25

HOME: Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

SCHOOL TIE: A master's student in water resources with a degree in civil engineering.

FRIENDS SAY: "Brian was a Christian, and first and foremost that's what he would want to be remembered as."

Ryan Clark, 22

HOMETOWN: Martinez, Ga.

SCHOOL TIE: A fifth-year student working toward degrees in biology and English.

FRIENDS SAY: "He was always smiling, always laughing. I don't think I ever saw him mad in the five years I knew him."

Austin Cloyd, 18

HOMETOWN: Blacksburg, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Freshman in international studies.

FRIENDS SAY: Mission trips to Appalachia showed her care and faith: "It made an important impact on her life, that's the kind of person she was."

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak

HOMETOWN: Montreal.

SCHOOL TIE: French instructor.

NOTABLE: Helped create the first French school in Truro, Nova Scotia, when she lived there in the '90s.

Daniel Perez Cueva, 21

HOMETOWN: Woodbridge, Va. SCHOOL TIE: Junior in international studies.

NOTABLE: A native of Peru, Perez had been interviewing with the French and Italian embassies in Washington, hoping for a summer internship.

Kevin Granata, 46

HOMETOWN: Toledo, Ohio.

SCHOOL TIE: Professor of engineering science and mechanics.

NOTABLE: The head of his department called him one of the top five U.S. biomechanics researchers on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.

Matthew Gwaltney, 24

HOMETOWN: Chester, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Master's student in civil and environmental engineering.

FRIENDS SAY: He had been named "Best guy to take home to your parents," his high school principal said.

Caitlin Hammaren, 19

HOMETOWN: Westtown, N.Y.

SCHOOL TIE: Sophomore in international studies, French.

FRIENDS SAY: She was a top student at her high school, president of the chorus. "There's no one who's perfect, but she was pretty close to perfect."

Jeremy Herbstritt, 27

HOMETOWN: Bellefonte, Pa.

SCHOOL TIE: Graduate student in civil engineering.

NOTABLE: High school classmates voted him "Most Talkative." A devout Catholic, he wanted to pursue an environmental career.

Rachael Hill, 18

HOMETOWN: Richmond, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Freshman studying biology.

FRIENDS SAY: "Rachael was a very bright, articulate, intelligent, beautiful, confident, poised young woman. She had a tremendous future."

Emily Jane Hilscher, 19

HOMETOWN: Woodville, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Freshman majoring in animal and poultry sciences.

FRIENDS SAY: She was known in her hometown as an animal lover and at school as "outgoing, friendly and helpful."

Jarrett Lee Lane, 22

HOMETOWN: Narrows, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Senior civil engineering student.

FRIENDS SAY: He was fun-loving and full of spirit, his high school's valedictorian. "He had a caring heart and was a friend to everyone he met."

Matthew J. La Porte, 20

HOMETOWN: Dumont, N.J.

SCHOOL TIE: Sophomore considering majoring in political science.

NOTABLE: On an Air Force ROTC scholarship, he belonged to the school's Corps of Cadets.

Henry J. Lee, 20

HOMETOWN: Roanoke, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Freshman computer engineering major.

FRIENDS SAY: The ninth of 10 siblings whose family fled Vietnam, he was a serious student, not person: "An extremely bubbly guy, always ready to go."

Liviu Librescu, 76

HOMETOWN: Romania.

SCHOOL TIE: Taught at Virginia Tech for 20 years and had an international reputation in aeronautical engineering.

NOTABLE: A Romanian who survived the Holocaust, he moved to Israel, then America.

G.V. Loganathan, 51

HOMETOWN: Madras, India.

SCHOOL TIE: Civil and environmental engineering professor at Virginia Tech since 1982.

RELATIVES SAY: "He has been a driving force for all of us, the guiding force," his brother told a news channel in India.

Partahi Lumbantoruan, 34

HOMETOWN: Indonesia.

SCHOOL TIE: Doctoral student studying civil engineering.

NOTABLE: His family in Indonesia said they sold off property and cars to pay his tuition. His goal was to become a teacher in the United States.

Lauren McCain, 20

HOMETOWN: Hampton, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Freshman international studies major.

NOTABLE: On her MySpace page, McCain listed "the love of my life" as Jesus Christ. She was learning German and had almost mastered Latin.

Daniel O'Neil, 22

HOMETOWN: Lincoln, R.I.

SCHOOL TIE: Graduate student in engineering.

FRIENDS SAY: He played guitar and wrote songs he posted at www.residenthippy.com. He was smart, responsible, someone who never got into trouble.

Juan Ramon Ortiz, 26

HOMETOWN: Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

SCHOOL TIE: Graduate student in civil engineering.

NOTABLE: Hometown neighbors called him a quiet, dedicated son who played in a salsa band with his father.

Minal Panchal, 26

HOMETOWN: Bombay, India.

SCHOOL TIE: Graduate student.

FRIENDS SAY: She wanted to be an architect like her father, who died four years ago. She was a bright, polite girl who helped neighborhood children with their schoolwork.

Erin Peterson, 18

HOMETOWN: Chantilly, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Freshman.

NOTABLE: A Westfield High classmate of the gunman, she was 6-foot-1 and played center for the high school's girls basketball team, helping lead it to a district championship.

Michael Pohle, 23

HOMETOWN: Flemington, N.J.

SCHOOL TIE: Senior in biological sciences, near graduation.

NOTABLE: He played high school football and lacrosse. His lacrosse coach said he was "a good kid who did everything that good kids do."

Julia Pryde, 23

HOMETOWN: Middletown, N.J.

SCHOOL TIE: Graduate student in biological systems and engineering.

NOTABLE: She had traveled to Ecuador to research water quality issues, and planned to return this summer.

Mary Karen Read, 19

HOMETOWN: Annandale, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Freshman.

NOTABLE: She was born in South Korea into an Air Force family and lived in Texas and California before settling in a Virginia suburb.

Reema Samaha, 18

HOMETOWN: Chantilly, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Freshman.

NOTABLE: She studied ballet and took up belly dance as a nod to family roots in Lebanon. She graduated from the same high school as the gunman, but likely didn't know him.

Waleed Mohammed Shaalan, 32

HOMETOWN: Zagazig, Egypt.

SCHOOL TIE: Doctoral student in civil engineering.

FRIENDS SAY: "He was the simplest and nicest guy. ... We would be studying for our exams and he would go buy a cake and make tea for us."

Leslie Sherman, 20

HOMETOWN: Springfield, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Sophomore in history and international studies.

NOTABLE: An avid traveler, she was headed to Russia this summer to study. She loved reading and socializing with her "gaggle" of more than 15 cousins.

Maxine Turner, 22

HOMETOWN: Vienna, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Senior chemical engineering student.

NOTABLE: She was accepted by a handful of high profile schools, including Johns Hopkins. But she was determined to be a Virginia Tech Hokie.

Nicole White, 20

HOMETOWN: Smithfield, Va.

SCHOOL TIE: Junior international studies major.

FRIENDS SAY: She was serious one moment, silly the next. She worked at a YMCA as a lifeguard and was an honor student in high school.

Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20

HOMETOWN: Saugus, Mass.

SCHOOL TIE: Sophomore who had just declared English as his major.

FRIENDS SAY: "You always made me smile, and you always knew the right thing to do or say to cheer anyone up."

Sources: Associated Press, Washington Post, Times (Middletown, N.Y.) Herald-Record

[Last modified April 22, 2007, 00:58:16]