A room in the second floor of Norris Hall has been named in honor of professor Liviu Librescu, a victim of the April 16, 2007, shootings who blocked the door to allow his students to escape.
Norris Hall’s second floor, where shooter Seung Hui Cho carried out the second round of shootings, was renovated and re-opened on April 10, 2009. As one of the six new rooms that have been created, the Dr. Liviu Librescu Student Engagement Center will serve as a place for students to meet and work together on projects.
The idea for the honor came from faculty in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and was officially approved at the Board of Visitors meeting on Nov. 9.
Librescu is being honored for his courage on April 16. He blocked the door of his Norris Hall classroom, while students slipped through the windows to safety.
Librescu spent his adolescence in a Jewish ghetto. After surviving the Holocaust, he pushed forward to become an engineer.
During Communist rule in Romania, Librescu earned his Ph.D. in aeronautical engineering.
However, he was forced to sneak his writings to publishers in other countries for recognition.
Librescu emigrated to Israel in 1978, before settling in Blacksburg in 1985 with his wife.
He served as a professor in engineering science and mechanics at Virginia Tech for 21 years.
While at Tech, he received a number of honors and awards including AARP the Magazine’s “Most Inspiring Person of 2007.”
Librescu’s legacy continues to assist students through the many scholarships in his name, along with the Student Engagement Center.
Pat Artis, an alumnus of Virginia Tech, gave a gift to help establish the center.
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Professor Liviu Librescu
A true hero
May your name always be associated with the best in humans!
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Good. A commendation richly deserved.
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