Va. Tech Graduations Recognize Those Lost and the Spirit That Remains
Saturday, May 12, 2007
BLACKSBURG, Va., May 11
That it would be a day of beginnings, of propelling forward, was clear from the moment the sound of "Pomp and Circumstance" spilled across the tens of thousands gathered in Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium on Friday night.
When the graduates filed in, the crowd was already standing, with cheers already deafening.
About 5,000 students graduated from the school just four weeks after a student gunman shattered the rural tranquillity of the campus, killing 32 people in what became the deadliest shooting by an individual in U.S. history. Twenty-seven of those killed were students, and all received posthumous degrees, their names and accomplishments printed in the programs held in every hand in the audience.
They would not be left out Friday night.
"As difficult as it is to relive that day, we yearn to pay homage to those cherished members of the Virginia Tech family who were lost that morning -- whom the world lost that cold, blustery morning," Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger told the crowd. "We wish to pay tribute to those innocent and beautiful young minds who wholeheartedly joined the university community seeking knowledge and growth."
They had come here from across the nation and from Peru and India and Indonesia, he said. They played volleyball and basketball. They were musicians and dancers.
"They wanted to make their mark as individuals, to be part of the greater world and make it better, and those of us assembled here tonight can attest that they succeeded," Steger said.
Each person killed in the April 16 massacre received a class ring. The names of the students and the five faculty members were read one by one, their photos flashed on the scoreboard. Silence fell across the stadium. Some of the victims' families sat among the crowd. The family of Seung Hui Cho, who also injured 29 people in the spray of 170 bullets before killing himself, will not receive a ring or a posthumous degree.
But as much as the day was spent looking back, it also focused on moving forward. It focused on those who had survived that day, who had worked for years for this day.
In a statement read by Steger, President Bush told graduates:
"Your actions in the face of great tragedy demonstrate the power of compassion and the indomitable spirit of a proud and determined university. We will always remember the lives that were taken, and we hold their families and friends in our hearts," he read.
"Your careers at Virginia Tech have prepared you to forge your own path forward, and the opportunities now before you are limited only by the size of your dreams."
The keynote speaker, retired Army Gen. John Philip Abizaid, spoke to the Class of 2007 about the burden they will carry for the rest of their lives.
They will leave with their good memories of the campus, he told them. "But you will also take with you the collective responsibility of realizing the dreams and aspirations of those who cannot be here," said Abizaid, former commander of the U.S. Central Command.
A day earlier, he and his wife had visited the makeshift memorials that have grown on the campus Drillfield since the shooting. Under a white-and-blue tent sit thousands of scribbled notes, along with "VT" insignias made out of everything from Popsicle sticks to dried daisies and baby's-breath blossoms. There is a display of eggs painted with each victim's name, reminding passersby that life is fragile.
"While we are saddened by the loss of those who cannot be here today, I believe that they would want this ceremony to commemorate both the tragedy of yesterday and the promise of tomorrow," Abizaid told those gathered. "I believe that they look down upon this gathering with dignified pride."
Graduates will receive their actual diplomas Saturday.
Throughout the day, the atmosphere on campus had been mostly one of optimism and excitement.
Mike Stoupa, 21, of McLean spent the hours before graduation with his family, packing away the few remaining items. He was excited about the ceremony, he said. He knows the shooting will always be associated with the Class of 2007, he said, but that is not what he will focus on when he looks back.
"We'll probably be remembered for that, but I don't think this class is going to make that their defining moment," Stoupa said. "I hope this class will be recognized more for their accomplishments than for the event on April 16."
As president of the Virginia Tech Union, he planned concerts and comedy shows. One of his favorite memories is of the time when a friend, who could pass for a high school student, stood among a group of prospective students touring the campus. Stoupa ran up, threw her over his shoulder and yelled, "I got one!"
The blank look on the other students' faces still cracks him up.
"That's what this place is," he said.
Vincent Caluori, 23, of Springfield said he will remember hiking at the Cascades, trips to the river and going to such restaurants as Homeplace that serve up Southern cooking.
Hours before he was to graduate, Caluori took his parents to the Drillfield. He stood in front of the flowers and mementos that swelled on the stone representing Ryan Clark, a victim and a friend he knew through marching band.
"He will get all three of his degrees," Caluori said. "He also had a 4.0."
His father, Marco Caluori, said it's all "surreal."
"I just can't believe it happened," he said. "A nice quiet place like Blacksburg, you knew your kids were going to be safe."
Vincent Caluori said the weight of the day hadn't hit him yet.
"I think it's going to hit me after I leave," he said. "I just kind of wish I could come back for another year and see how this place rebounds."
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