Bill Text: VA SJR421 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the lives of those lost in the Virginia Tech tragedy.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-02-23 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ421ER) [SJR421 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2017-SJR421-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, a decade ago, on April 16, 2007, 32 men and women tragically died and 24 were injured at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University campus as a result of the worst mass casualty attack to that point by a single shooter in American history; and
WHEREAS, they ranged in age from 18 to 76 and represented a variety of academic areas, faiths, and ethnic groups; and
WHEREAS, they were respected and cherished by their families, their friends, and their fellow students and professors for whom they were as individuals, for whom they would uniquely become, and for what they were aspiring to accomplish in their lives; and
WHEREAS, bereavement for these extraordinary men and women and the senseless loss of their lives is felt most profoundly by their loved ones, but during the days, weeks, months, and years that have followed the tragedy, heartfelt condolences, prayers, and messages of hope, inspiration, and encouragement poured out by every means imaginable in an effort to comfort the victims' families and to bolster the Virginia Tech community in its grief and recovery; and
WHEREAS, since the tragedy, the citizens of Virginia have come to know the dreams and pursuits of these intelligent, caring, and talented men and women; to mourn their deaths; and to ponder with sadness what significant and amazing achievements they might have realized and what differences, big and small, they could have made in the world to make it a better place in which to live; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world will surely remember each of the 32 exemplary men and women we have loss through the countless memorials and tributes created in their names, the lasting monuments erected in their honor, and especially through the good works and enduring accomplishments that will be achieved in their stead; and
WHEREAS, among those good works were the creation of individual family foundations by a number of the families of the victims as well as one overarching foundation, VTV Family Outreach Foundation, formed by the families of the victims and survivors of the Virginia Tech tragedy, that is working to advance the cause of campus safety; and
WHEREAS, since this tragedy, the continued loss of life in the tens of thousands in our nation due to violence and, in particular, the life-taking and life-threatening events that have occurred on school and college campuses, highlights the need to speak out against violence of all types, do all we can to empower students and families, and to offer schools and colleges proven methods to reduce the likelihood of such tragedies in the future; and
WHEREAS, the students, educators, and employees of Virginia Tech and all Virginians continue to mourn the deaths of the 32 respected and beloved persons who died at the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007, and in all of their memories; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sorrow the loss of Ross A. Alameddine, Christopher James Bishop, Brian Roy Bluhm, Ryan Christopher Clark, Austin Michelle Cloyd, Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, Kevin P. Granata, Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, Caitlin Millar Hammaren, Jeremy Michael Herbstritt, Rachael Elizabeth Hill, Emily Jane Hilscher, Jarrett Lee Lane, Matthew Joseph La Porte, Henry J. Lee, Liviu Librescu, G.V. Loganathan, Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan, Lauren Ashley McCain, Daniel Patrick O'Neil, Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz, Minal Hiralal Panchal, Daniel Alejandro Perez, Erin Nicole Peterson, Michael Steven Pohle, Jr., Julia Kathleen Pryde, Mary Karen Read, Reema Joseph Samaha, Waleed Mohamed Shaalan, Leslie Geraldine Sherman, Maxine Shelly Turner, and Nicole Regina White; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the families of each of the 32 respected and beloved persons whose lives were tragically lost on April 16, 2007, as an expression of the General Assembly's deepest sympathy on behalf of all of the citizens of the Commonwealth.
