2007 Top Moments: Virginia Tech Shootings

First of all, don't get me wrong.
When I say "top moments of 2007," I don't necessarily mean the "best" or "most exciting" moments.
I mean those moments that stand out.
The shootings at Virginia Tech hit home for me probably--probably--more than for anyone else in our newsroom.
Thankfully, it wasn't as close to home as the families of the 30+ victims.
I'll return to that in a moment.
First, let me begin a few days prior to the shootings.
My wife and I were on our honeymoon in the Smoky Mountains, when I noticed I had a voicemail.
It was from my mom.
This, coupled with a nagging sense that something just wasn't right, prompted me to call her back, despite the fact that, well, I was on my honeymoon.
Mom proceeded to tell me this remarkable tale about my father getting sick while on business travel in Los Angeles, and how she had to fly out there to help him, and how they couldn't fly back because of his condition.
That meant an Amtrak ride all the way back home to North Carolina where they live.
So, that was alarming enough.
Fast-forward to the following Monday morning, when I was at home in Darlington, and my brother called.
He and his buddies were on the way back from an engineering competition in Florida, where they represented Virginia Tech, where he was a senior.
Blake told me his girlfriend, Mary, called to tell him she awoke that morning to the sounds of gunshots on her floor.
Blake was in a car, and said for the past few minutes, folks on the road were honking horns and waving at his van, which had several Virginia Tech logos on it.
Some of the guys in his car were supposed to have been in classes in Norris Hall that very morning, if not for the weekend trip.
I checked CNN immediately, and found reports of at least a few people dead after a shooting inside a dorm.
Then, almost as immediately, the news changed.
First, 10 dead.
Then, 15.
I remember the crawl on Fox News Channel may have had it first: "22 reported dead."
I was in shock, but I knew I had to let my parents know.
With hit-or-miss cell phone coverage, I relayed the story to my mom, who was accompanying my father back on that cross-country train.
As soon as I got off the phone with her, my phone was lighting up with calls and text messages, all from people I knew who wanted to make sure Blake and Mary were safe.
I got to work, and immediately sent out a mass e-mail, telling anyone and everyone the events of the morning, and just how close Blake and Mary had come.
I re-read that e-mail last night, and it began something like this:

"With my family on the road, it has fallen to me, the newsman, to pass along
what is going on. Who knew, right?"

Usually my mom is the one who sends out the Ray family mass e-mails.
Its a day I won't soon forget, and it's a tragedy that I think most folks, myself included, won't ever understand.

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