Letter: Protecting those in pain
Letter to the Editor
April 20, 2007
As an alum of the University of Maryland and a parent of two college students at UMd, I know deep in heart and soul the unbelievable sense of grief, sadness, and loss you at Tech are feeling this morning. My heart goes out to the entire Tech community. I cry with you this morning; I grieve with you this morning. Having lost my grandmother, my mom, and my twin sister all in the span of 18 months as a young teenager, I know first hand how devastating it is to lose a loved one. So, I know in my heart how deeply the parents, families, and friends of the innocent students who were killed and wounded yesterday at Tech are hurting today. I wish I could simply put my arms around them -- and everyone at Tech -- and protect all of you from the pain and sadness you are feeling today. Unfortunately I can't. I can only promise to keep everyone at Tech, especially the students who were lost and wounded yesterday, and their families and friends, in my thoughts and prayers each and every day of my life. I worked for a number of years as a Graduate Resident, Resident Director, and then Community Director in the Resident Life Program at UMd. Like most RAs, I think, I genuinely cared and my RAs genuinely cared about the health, safety, and welfare of our students at UMd. And I know that was undoubtedly true of the courageous RA who lost his life yesterday while looking out for the welfare of one of his students. I grieve this loss, and the sense of loss that the students in his dorm will undoubtedly feel, as well as the sense of loss his parents, family and friends will feel. And I grieve the loss of the innocent co-ed whose life was so ruthlessly and so unnecessarily taken in her dorm yesterday, a place that should be safe for every student. I grieve the loss of the instructor who lost his life yesterday in his classroom and, of course, I grieve the loss of all of the innocent students who were cruelly killed and wounded yesterday in their classrooms. On behalf of all parents with students at UMd, on behalf of all UMd alumni, on behalf of all Resident Life staff at UMd, and on behalf of all members of the UMd community, I offer my sincere condolences to you and the entire Tech community. You are, and you always will be, in my thoughts and prayers each and every day for the rest of my life.
Jerry Moore
North Potomac, MD