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