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Blacksburg in Montgomery County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

April 16th Memorial

We Remember

 
 
April 16th Memorial image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2011
1. April 16th Memorial
Inscription.
April 16th, 2007
On April 16th, 2007, 32 innocent lives were lost in a senseless act of campus violence. Twenty-seven young, gifted graduate and undergraduate students died that day, two in Ambler Johnston Residence Hall, toward the south side of campus, and 25 more in Norris Hall, toward the north. Five dedicated professors also perished in Norris Hall along with their students, all done by a deranged student. Dozen more students and members of the faculty and staff were injured or traumatized.

The 32 Original Hokie Stones
Dedicated on August 19, 2007, this memorial recreates 32 Hokie Stones placed on the Drillfield in the hours after the tragedy by the student-run volunteer organization Hokies United. Friends and classmates spontaneously arranged the stones in a semicircle, honoring each person slain, and the 32 stones quickly became a gathering place to mourn, to pay respects, and to reflect on the lives of these vibrant scholars taken from our midst. These stones became the inspiration for this permanent memorial, physically reflecting the unmitigated sorrow felt by our campus, by their loved ones, and by people the world over.

The Permanent Memorial
This memorial honors each of the 32 people killed that day. Each person’s name is carved here in Hokie Stone, a native
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limestone that has been part of Virginia Tech tradition for more than a century. This special stone is used to symbolize the enduring bond of our Hokie Nation, its relentless spirit, our commitment to move forward as one community, and our determination to never forget the 32 people who died that morning.

Remembering The Victims
Our memorial brochure tells a little about these 32 students and faculty members. They ranged in age from 18 to 76 and represented a variety of academic areas, along with nearly every major faith and ethnic group. The brochure biographies begin with the farthest left stone as you face the memorial and continue around the semicircle to the right. You can learn more at www.werember.vt.edu. We hope that you are able to reflect on the tremendous promise each of them embodied for our world and that you take with you a little of their creativity, intelligence, humility, and humanity when you depart. Live for 32.

Nicole Regina White
Smithfield, Virginia
20 years old

Daniel Patrick O'Neil
Lincoln, Rhode Island
23 years old

Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
Chesterfield, Virginia
24 years old

Ross A. Alameddine
Saugus, Massachusetts
20 years old

Reema Joseph Samaha
Centreville, Virginia
18 years old

Caitlin
April 16th Memorial and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Kevin W., April 5, 2013
2. April 16th Memorial and Marker
Millar Hammaren

Westtown, New York
19 years old

Rachael Elizabeth Hill
Glen Allen, Virginia
18 year sold

Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
Zagazig, Egypt
31 years old

Matthew Joseph La Porte
Dumont, New Jersey
20 years old

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
Blacksburg, Virignia
49 years old

Leslie Geraldine Sherman
Springfield, Virginia
20 years old

Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
26 years old

Kevin P. Granata
Blacksburg, Virginia
45 years old

Jarrett Lee Lane
Narrows, Virginia
22 years old

Christopher James Bishop
Blacksburg, Virginia
35 years old

Maxine Shelly Turner
Vienna, Virginia
22 years old

Minal Hiralal Panchal
Mumbia, India
26 years old

Ryan Christopher Clark
Martinez, Georgia
22 years old

Emily Jane Hilscher
Woodville, Virginia
18 years old

G.V. Loganathan
Blacksburg, Virginia
52 years old

Mary Karen Read
Annandale, Virginia
19 years old

Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
23 years old

Partahi Mamora
April 16th Memorial on the VT Drillfield image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2011
3. April 16th Memorial on the VT Drillfield
Halomoan Lumbantoruan

Jakarta, Indonesia
34 years old

Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva
Woodbridge, Virginia
21 years old

Julia Kathleen Pryde
Middleton, New Jersey
23 years old

Erin Nicole Peterson
Centreville, Virginia
18 years old

Austin Michelle Cloyd
Blacksburg, Virginia
18 years old

Liviu Librescu
Blacksburg, Virginia
76 years old

Henry J. Lee (Henh Ly)
Roanoke, Virginia
20 years old

Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
Flemington, New Jersey
23 years old

Lauren Ashley McCain
Hampton, Virginia
20 years old

Brian R. Bluhm
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
25 years old
 
Erected 2007 by Virginia Tech.
 
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: DisastersEducation. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1304.
 
Location. 37° 13.696′ N, 80° 25.38′ W. Marker is in Blacksburg, Virginia, in Montgomery County. Marker can be reached from Drillfield Drive, 0.1 miles west of Stanger Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Blacksburg VA 24061, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Julian Ashby Burruss (a few steps from this marker); The Alwood Oak
We Will Prevail<br>We Are Virginia Tech image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2011
4. We Will Prevail
We Are Virginia Tech

April 16th Memorial
This memorial to those lost on April 16th, 2007,
was inspired by a spontaneous arrangement of
32 Hokie Stones—the cornerstone of buildings
throughout campus—created by grieving
students following the tragedy. Today, the
memorial stands both as a testimony to the
Hokie Spirit and sense of community that
arose within all members of the Virginia
Tech family, and, more importantly, in
remembrance of the 32 inquiring minds and
inspiring lives that will be forever treasured.
Dedicated August 19th 2007
(within shouting distance of this marker); William Bradford Alwood (within shouting distance of this marker); Earl Bertram Norris (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); William MacFarland Patton (about 400 feet away); John Edward Williams (about 500 feet away); Frank Leigh Robeson (about 600 feet away); John William Hancock Jr. (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blacksburg.
 
Also see . . .
1. We Remember. Virginia Tech (Submitted on June 24, 2011.) 

2. The Memorial Brochure mentioned on the marker (pdf file). (Submitted on April 11, 2013, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.)
 
April 16th Memorial Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Kevin W., April 5, 2013
5. April 16th Memorial Marker
Two of the 32 Hokie Stones at the Memorial. The notes adjacent to the stone on the left commemorate Jarrett Lee Jones' birthday.
April 16th Memorial Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Kevin W., April 5, 2013
6. April 16th Memorial Marker
A nearby bench is dedicated to the survivors of the April 16th tragedy.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 24, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,496 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on June 24, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.   2. submitted on April 6, 2013, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.   3, 4. submitted on June 24, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.   5, 6. submitted on April 6, 2013, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.

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Mar. 28, 2024