One Year Ago at Virginia Tech

The following is a list of victims killed by a gunman on the campus of Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007:

Ross Abdallah Alameddine

Alameddine, 20, of Saugus, Mass., was a sophomore who had just declared English as his major.

Friends created a memorial page on Facebook.com that described Alameddine as "an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy."

Christopher James Bishop

Bishop, a 35-year-old German professor known as "Jamie," wore his hair long, rode his bike to campus and worked alongside his wife in the foreign languages department at Virginia Tech, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was known for his gentle manner and generosity toward students. He is the son of science fiction writer Michael Bishop.

Brian Roy Bluhm

Bluhm, 25, of Stephens City, Va., was an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers, who announced his death before Tuesday's game against Kansas City.

"He went to a game last weekend and saw them win, and I'm glad he did," said Bluhm's close friend, Michael Marshall of Richmond, Va.

The master's student in civil engineering and water resources also received his undergraduate degree in civil engineering at Virginia Tech and was getting ready to defend his thesis. He had already accepted a job in Baltimore, Marshall said.

Ryan Christopher Clark

Clark, a 22-year-old senior from Martinez, Ga., was called "Stack" by his friends, many of whom he met as a resident assistant at West Ambler Johnson Hall, where the first shootings took place.

He was "an amiable senior memorable for his ready smile and thoughtful ways," according to the student paper.

Austin Michelle Cloyd

Cloyd, 18, an international studies major and member of the honors program from Blacksburg, Va., was so inspired by an Appalachian service project that helped rehabilitate homes that she and her mother started a similar program in their Illinois town, her former pastor said.

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak

Couture-Nowak was a French instructor and former Montreal resident originally from Truro, Nova Scotia.

She taught at Virginia Tech for eight years, along with her husband, Jerzy Nowak, a horticulture professor and the head of the horticulture department at Virginia Tech.

Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva

Perez Cueva, 21, was a native of Peru and a sophomore majoring in international studies. He was active in the Peruvian campus community, according to The New York Times.

Kevin Granata

Engineering science and mechanics professor Granata and his students researched muscle and reflex response and robotics.

Granata served in the military and later conducted orthopedic research in hospitals before coming to Virginia Tech. The head of the school's engineering science and mechanics department called Granata one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.

Matthew Gregory Gwaltney

Gwaltney, 24, of Chester, Va., was a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering, according to his father and stepmother, Greg and Linda Gwaltney. He also did his undergraduate work at Virginia Tech, graduating in 2005, The New York Times reported.

Caitlin Millar Hammaren

Hammaren, 19, of Westtown, N.Y., was a sophomore majoring in international studies and French, according to officials at her former school district.

"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," said John P. Latini, principal of Minisink Valley High School, where she graduated in 2005. "Caitlin was a leader among our students."

Jeremy Michael Herbstritt

Herbstritt, 27, was from Bellefonte, Pa., according to Penn State University, his alma mater and his father's employer. He had two undergraduate degrees from there, one in molecular biology and biochemistry and the other in civil engineering, according to The New York Times.

Rachael Elizabeth Hill

Hill, 18, was a freshman studying biology at Virginia Tech after graduating from Grove Avenue Christian School in Henrico County.

Hill, of Glen Allen, Va., was an only child. She was popular and funny, had a penchant for shoes and was competitive on the volleyball court.

Emily Jane Hilscher

Friends posting messages of tribute on Facebook.com Monday night remembered Hilscher, a 19-year-old freshman from Woodville, Va., as a vibrant girl with an engaging personality.

"Emily was a kind and wonderful person who always put a smile on my face," wrote Jessica Gould.

Jarrett Lee Lane

Jarrett Lane, from Narrows, Va., was a senior civil engineering student who was valedictorian of his high school class in tiny Narrows, Va., just 30 miles from Virginia Tech. His high school put up a memorial to Lane that included pictures, musical instruments and his athletic jerseys.

Matthew Joseph La Porte

La Porte, 20, a sophomore from Dumont, N.J., was majoring in university studies. He had been an Air Force cadet at Virginia Tech, according to his former platoon leader, David Wheeler.

Henry J. Lee

Born Henh Ly, the 20-year-old Roanoke, Va., first-year student majoring in computer engineering was ecstatic to earn his U.S. citizenship in 1999. It was then that he changed his name to Henry Lee, The New York Times reported.

He had enough advanced-placement credits to be considered a sophomore at Virginia Tech.

His family emigrated from China by way of Vietnam, and when Lee first arrived in the States as an elementary school student, he couldn't speak English, according to the Times.

Liviu Librescu

Librescu, 76, a Holocaust survivor and an Israeli lecturer in mathematics and engineering science and mechanics, was born in Romania and was known internationally for his research in aeronautical engineering. He had taught at Virginia Tech for more than 20 years, joining the faculty in 1985.

G.V. Loganathan

Loganathan, 51, was born in the southern Indian city of Chennai and had been a civil and environmental engineering professor at Virginia Tech since 1982.

Loganathan won several awards for excellence in teaching, had served on the faculty senate and was an adviser to about 75 undergraduate students.

Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan

Lumbantoruan, 34, of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, was a civil engineering doctoral student, according to ministry spokesman Kristiarto Legowo. He was also an aspiring teacher, according to The New York Times.

"Mora," as his friends called him, was only two semesters shy of graduating, after which he planned to go home to Indonesia to teach, when he died in Norris Hall, the Times reported.

Lauren Ashley McCain

On her MySpace page, McCain, of Hampton, Va., listed "the love of my life" as Jesus Christ.

Her family said the 20-year-old freshman international studies major became a Christian some time ago.

"Her life since that time has been filled with His love that continued to overflow to touch everyone who knew her," the family said in a statement.

Daniel Patrick O'Neil

O'Neil, 22, a first-year graduate student in environmental engineering from Lincoln, R.I., graduated in 2002 from Lincoln High School and last year received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., before heading to Virginia, according to The Providence Journal.

A Lafayette publication said that while there, O’Neil was vice president of the Arts Society. His high school yearbook noted he was on the cross country and outdoor track teams, the drama club and the National Honor Society, according to the Providence Journal.

A high school friend, Steve Craveiro, said O'Neil played guitar and wrote his own songs. Craveiro described O'Neil as smart, responsible and a hard worker.

Juan Ramon Ortiz

Ortiz, 26, who was from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, was teaching a class as part of his graduate program in civil engineering at Virginia Tech.

The family's neighbors in the San Juan suburb of Bayamon remembered Ortiz as a quiet, dedicated son who decorated his parents' one-story concrete house each Christmas and played in a salsa band with his father on weekends.

"He was an extraordinary son, what any father would have wanted," said Ortiz's father, also named Juan Ramon Ortiz.

Minal Hiralal Panchal

Panchal, 26, of Mumbai, India, wanted to be an architect like her father, who died four years ago. She was a first-year graduate student in architecture.

She was very keen to go to the United States for postgraduate studies and thrilled when she gained admission last year, said Chetna Parekh, a friend who lives in the bustling middle-class Mumbai neighborhood of Borivali, India, where Panchal lived before coming to Virginia Tech. "She was a brilliant student and very hardworking. She was focused on getting her degree and doing well."

Erin Peterson

Peterson, 18, of Chantilly, Va., graduated in 2006 from Westfield High School, three years after gunman Cho Seung-Hui graduated from the same school. It wasn't clear if the two knew each other.

Peterson was a star basketball player at her high school, according to The New York Times.

Michael Steven Pohle Jr.

Pohle, 23, of Flemington, N.J., was expected to graduate in a few weeks with a degree in biological sciences, said Craig Blanton, Hunterdon Central's vice principal during the 2002 school year, when Pohle graduated.

"He had a bunch of job interviews and was all set to start his post-college life," Blanton told The Star-Ledger of Newark.

...One of his old lacrosse coaches, Bob Shroeder, described him as "a good kid who did everything that good kids do."

Julia Kathleen Pryde

Pryde, 23, of Middletown, N.J., was a graduate student in biological systems engineering. She traveled to Peru with a professor to work with students there on improving water systems in South America, was fluent in Spanish and enjoyed hiking the Appalachian Trail.

She was hoping to improve water quality in mountainous areas with her studies in watershed management, according to The New York Times.

Mary Karen Read

Friends remembered Read, a 19-year-old freshman from Annandale, Va., for her smile and her caring nature. Read was a fan of marching band and French.

"She was really caring, never had bad intentions for anybody, she put everybody else before herself," friends told FOX News on Tuesday.

Reema Joseph Samaha

Samaha, 18, a freshman from Centreville, Va., was described as fun and energetic, and a dancer.

“She was in theater. She was just real upbeat. Always had a lot of energy. Always a great person to be around. She’d always make you laugh,” said friend Matthew Dockins, 19, a freshman civil engineering major.

Waleed Mohammed Shaalan

Shaalan, 32, came to Virginia Tech last year from Zagazig, northern Egypt, to be a doctoral student in civil engineering, according to The New York Times. His wife and son were back home in Egypt, another student, Shered Fadek, told the paper.

Shaalan was involved in the university's Muslim Student Association, and took part in many of the organization's activities in the community, the Times reported. He was hard-working and friendly. He was studying in Norris Hall when he was killed.

Leslie Geraldine Sherman

Sherman, 20, of Springfield, Va., was a sophomore in history and international studies, according to her grandmother, Gerry Adams. She was also an honor roll student.

She enjoyed history, foreign languages, running and making people laugh, according to The New York Times.

"She was just amazing," sophomore Deepika R. Chadive, 19, told the Times.

Maxine Shelly Turner

Turner, 22, was a senior majoring in chemical engineering from Vienna, Va., according to her father, Paul Turner. She described life as "awesome," The Roanoke Times reported.

Turner was a member of Alpha Omega Epsilon, an engineering sorority, according to The New York Times.

Nicole Regina White

White, 20, of Smithfield, Va., was a strawberry blonde junior majoring in international studies, according to a family statement released by the Suffolk, Va., Police Department.

She loved animals, and enjoyed taking care of them, The New York Times reported.

White was an honor student and a summer lifeguard who grew up in the eastern Virginia town of Smithfield, according to the Times. The two great loves of her life were animals and religion. She hailed from a very religious family.

_____________________

Photos of the victims
_____________________

Life at Virginia Tech a year later

Va. Tech begins day of mourning a year after mass shooting