Mood at the memorial one year later

Lindsey Henley
Published: April 17, 2008

It’s a slow walk around the April 16th memorial on the Virginia Tech Drillfield.  It’s one with hugs and tears.

People lay down flowers and other items to remember those lost. But beyond the sadness of the day, there’s something more. There’s also a sense of energy I didn’t experience last year,” Kelly M. Sisson said.

Sisson is a local pastor and United Campus Minister. She watched as people lined up to view the memorial while others sat in groups or played games. “The laughter.  Last year, it was weeks before we had that kind of laughter in the background,” she said.

The laughter made the day much different than last year. 

It’s a beautiful day,” she said.  “We’re different than last April.”

And the memorial at the head of campus is one reminder of how the Hokie Nation will never be the same. “There’s a holy quiet that’s honoring those lives, but there’s the living that I see out here.

The Corp of Cadets guard what on this day one year later members of the Virginia Tech community can only describe as sacred. “That means many different things to many different people.”