Reaction to Tragedy Is a Grimly Practiced Response
Richard Gregory, a local architect and 1971 Tech graduate, walked his dog along the quiet streets and said he wonders about how the university will recover when Katie Couric and Shepard Smith and the rest of the media pack up–probably within about 24 hours–and attention fades. And he worries, as others do, about the Columbine-like link the university will now have with the massacre.
"The Virginia Tech family is pretty close-knit," he said. "But this does not bode well for our reputation with unfamiliar people."
As he spoke, the post-tragedy dance continued just across campus. Police were naming the shooter, reporters were again pressing officials on the their actions after the first shootings, and security was scrambling to prepare for President Bush's arrival for an afternoon memorial service.
The hubbub, if history serves, will subside by this time tomorrow. Eyewitnesses will have been interviewed, officials held accountable, and network anchors, celebrities, and reporters will pack up, and the dozens of satellite trucks will have been dispatched to the latest big thing. They're expected back in a year–anniversary stories.
But this rural little corner of Virginia, on a 2,000-foot plateau between the Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains, "in the middle of nowhere," as Tech sophomore Ryan Hulleatt characterizes it, will continue grieving in private.
Here, the mountainsides are just beginning to green, and there's only a hint of spring warm in the wind. Finals are yet to be taken, and graduation is less than three weeks away.
"Pray for us–pray for the families," Gregory said, as he continued his walk down the empty sidewalk.
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