NIU remembers, gathers hope for the future

Northern Illinois University students, staff and families gather today on the DeKalb campus to remember the tragedy that occurred one year ago.

It has been a day of remembering the five students who died, offering healing thoughts to the 17 people who were wounded and the scores of others who were on campus that fateful day, and thanking all of those around the world who sent help and healing words in the wake of the shootings.

NIU President John Peters said the university has show character and strength in defining its own legacy and succeeding in the face of tragedy.

"We vowed not to let an act of violence define us, and we have not. We are strengthened by a renewed sense of unity and purpose," he told a crowd of students, staff and families during a remembrance ceremony on Saturday morning at the NIU Convocation Center.

Peters, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, students, teachers and community members joined together at 3 p.m. in a memorial walk from the Martin Luther King Commons to Cole Hall, where the shootings occurred.

"One year ago, five students lost their life in a tragic, senseless shooting," Quinn said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those students and we thank the NIU community that has come together to grieve and comfort each other."

East of Cole Hall, wreaths were to be placed at the site of a future permanent memorial to the five Feb. 14 victims. The university announced Saturday it will build a privately-funded Memorial Garden on the site, featuring a curved walkway and five illuminated sections of cardinal red granite that will represent the victims of the shooting.

NIU also announced the winners of the first "Forward, Together Forward" scholarships, awarded in honor of the five Feb. 14 victims to five current students: Deanna Bach of Wheaton, Jacqueline Do of DeKalb, Scott Hudek of Downers Grove, Justin Kuryliw of DeKalb and Grace Weidner of Gurnee.

At 6 p.m., the campus will gather for a candlelight vigil in memory of those who died.

The morning ceremony celebrated character as embodied in the victims of the Feb. 14 shootings and the Huskie community that came together after the tragedy.

Cherilyn Murer, chair of the NIU board of trustees, said the NIU community has moved forward together by recommitting itself to its educational mission.

"Gail, Catalina, Julianna, Ryanne and Dan all had dreams, and we honor them by fulfilling our own dreams," Murer said. "Every degree we grant, ever breakthrough we celebrate is their legacy."

In a dramatic, fast-paced reading, five students from the School of Theatre and Dance dressed in black and standing at five evenly spaced podiums interwove tributes to the five victims with examples of character drawn from sports, literature and history.

The students spoke of Julianna Gehant's optimism, Daniel Parmenter's unselfishness, Ryanne Mace's enjoyment of life, Catalina Garcia's extroverted nature and Gayle Dubowski's vocal intelligence, drawing parallels between the students and revered figures such as Confucius, Winston Churchill and Michael Jordan.

The School of Theatre and Dance students also thanked the countless individuals who offered support to the mourning campus during the past year, including the 300 counselors who helped students adjust to a "new normal," NIU students who constructed makeshift memorials, the Virginia Tech students and staff who held a candlelight vigil in a show of solidarity with NIU, and the emergency personnel who helped save the lives of students who were injured in Cole Hall.

Pianist HaeRim Yoo from the School of Music performed Claude Debussy's haunting, ephemeral "Clair de Lune" as silent hundreds of students, faculty and family fixed their eyes on the stage. The Convocation Center rose to listen to Amanda Brex sing the alma mater.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=272221">At NIU, a picture of unity, sorrow, forbearance</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=272199">Suburban students win memorial scholarships</a></li> </ul> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=305">NIU remembers</a></li> </ul> <div class="moreSubHead"> Photo gallery </div> <ul class="moreGallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=272240" class="mediaItem">The day in pictures </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>