2008 Woodie Awards
Student remembers V-Tech victim: 'He was such a genuine guy'
Ryan Hayner
Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: News
Originally published: 4/26/07 at 5:54 PM EST
Last update: 4/26/07 at 5:54 PM EST
- Page 1 of 1
At the start of last week, the Facebook picture of Plattsburgh State sophomore Carolyn Campbell featured a cheerful blonde girl with a grin on her face.
By Wednesday, however, the mood of the picture took a somber transformation.
A now well-recognized Virginia Tech remembrance ribbon is featured prominently in the rectangular photo space with the words "RIP Michael Pohle" beneath it.
Pohle was one of the 32 students and faculty who were killed April 16 during Virginia Tech senior Seung-Hui Cho's murderous rampage.
It was six years ago Campbell and Pohle shared the same hallways of Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, N.J., she, a freshman, he was a senior.
Despite the age difference, she knew Pohle and was friends with his younger sister Nicole.
As a member of the marching band, she was beneath the Friday night lights during each football game, watching him play during his senior year.
Campbell learned about the shootings when her roommate received a call from her mother April 16, informing them of what happened.
Once the two left the Sundowner, they immediately turned on the television.
Moments later Campbell was on the computer, sending messages and making phone calls to find out the status of friends from New Jersey that attend Virginia Tech.
"I couldn't believe something like that would happen," she said.
She didn't find out about Pohle's status until she received a text message from a hometown friend while she was in class last Wednesday, asking if she remembered Pohle, writing that he was one of the students killed.
When class ended she got online and checked online newspapers until she finally confirmed the text - Pohle was one of the victims of the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.
"I was shocked," Campbell said.
She remembers Pohle as the captain of the football team, an exceptional lacrosse player and a person very well-liked throughout the school.
So well-liked in fact that she said he could often be seen joking and chatting with several school administrators regularly.
"He was a very, very funny kid," Campbell said. "He was friendly with everybody."
He knew everybody, she said, but even if he didn't that wasn't going to stop him from helping.
"He was such a genuine guy," Campbell said. "He would help out people he didn't even know."
Pohle, a biological sciences major, was in his fifth year of college and only weeks away from graduation.
"He wanted to have a good place in life," Campbell said. "He had his life set out for him - he studied hard, he knew what he wanted to do."
Campbell said she was confused over the shooting.
"It's such a shame, such a shame," she said. "I don't understand why stuff like this happens."
By Wednesday, however, the mood of the picture took a somber transformation.
A now well-recognized Virginia Tech remembrance ribbon is featured prominently in the rectangular photo space with the words "RIP Michael Pohle" beneath it.
Pohle was one of the 32 students and faculty who were killed April 16 during Virginia Tech senior Seung-Hui Cho's murderous rampage.
It was six years ago Campbell and Pohle shared the same hallways of Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, N.J., she, a freshman, he was a senior.
Despite the age difference, she knew Pohle and was friends with his younger sister Nicole.
As a member of the marching band, she was beneath the Friday night lights during each football game, watching him play during his senior year.
Campbell learned about the shootings when her roommate received a call from her mother April 16, informing them of what happened.
Once the two left the Sundowner, they immediately turned on the television.
Moments later Campbell was on the computer, sending messages and making phone calls to find out the status of friends from New Jersey that attend Virginia Tech.
"I couldn't believe something like that would happen," she said.
She didn't find out about Pohle's status until she received a text message from a hometown friend while she was in class last Wednesday, asking if she remembered Pohle, writing that he was one of the students killed.
When class ended she got online and checked online newspapers until she finally confirmed the text - Pohle was one of the victims of the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.
"I was shocked," Campbell said.
She remembers Pohle as the captain of the football team, an exceptional lacrosse player and a person very well-liked throughout the school.
So well-liked in fact that she said he could often be seen joking and chatting with several school administrators regularly.
"He was a very, very funny kid," Campbell said. "He was friendly with everybody."
He knew everybody, she said, but even if he didn't that wasn't going to stop him from helping.
"He was such a genuine guy," Campbell said. "He would help out people he didn't even know."
Pohle, a biological sciences major, was in his fifth year of college and only weeks away from graduation.
"He wanted to have a good place in life," Campbell said. "He had his life set out for him - he studied hard, he knew what he wanted to do."
Campbell said she was confused over the shooting.
"It's such a shame, such a shame," she said. "I don't understand why stuff like this happens."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
L K Tucker
posted 4/27/07 @ 2:32 AM EST
There is something that was not considered when the Virginia Tech shooting was investigated, Subliminal Distraction.
SD was discovered when it caused mental breaks for office workers in the 1960's. (Continued…)
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