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Feb 11, 2010Comments: 252 · Posts: 38715 · Topics: 473
Leo Men, I tip my hat to you.
Liviu Librescu (18 August 1930 - 16 April 2006)
At age 76,[10] Librescu was among the 32 people who were murdered in the Virginia Tech massacre. On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho entered Norris Hall Engineering Building and opened fire on classrooms. Librescu, who taught a solid mechanics class in Room 204 in the Norris Hall during April 2007,[13] held the door of his classroom shut while Cho attempted to enter it. Although he was shot through the door, Librescu managed to prevent the gunman from entering the classroom until most of his students had escaped through the windows.[14][15][16] He was struck by five bullets,[17] with a shot to the head proving to be fatal.[18] Of the 23 registered students in his class, only one, Minal Panchal, died.[19]
A number of Librescu's students have called him a hero because of his actions. Caroline Merrey, a senior, said she and about 20 other students scrambled through the windows as Librescu shouted for them to hurry.[17] Merrey said, "I don??t think I would be here if it wasn't for [Librescu]."[20] Librescu's son Joe said he had received e-mails from several students who said he had saved their lives and regarded him as a hero.[10]