The community gathers to remember the lives of those lost in the University of Iowa campus shooting 25 years ago.
By Brett Shaw
The warm and peaceful atmosphere on Tuesday greatly contrasted with the dreadful day that occurred exactly 25 years ago.
The Iowa City community gathered near the Old Capitol to remember the lives of those lost in the infamous University of Iowa campus shooting.
On Nov. 1, 1991, Gang Lu, a former physics graduate student at the UI, killed five people and severely injured another.
The victims were Christoph K. Goertz, professor of physics and astronomy at UI; Dwight R. Nicholson, professor and chairman of the UI Physics/Astronomy Department; Linhua Shan, research investigator in physics and astronomy; Robert Alan Smith, associate professor of physics and astronomy; and T. Anne Cleary, associate vice president for Academic Affairs.
Miya Rodolfo-Sioson, a temporary worker for the Academic Affairs support staff, survived the shooting but was paralyzed from neck down. She passed away in 2008.
A ceremony titled “Day of Remembrance: 25th Anniversary of the University of Iowa Campus Shooting” was held to honor the victims and to remember their legacy.
The brief ceremony took place on the north side of the Old Capitol Building. P. Barry Butler, executive vice president and provost, and Wayne Polyzou, a UI professor of physics, spoke at the ceremony about the tragedy and those who were lost. Each victim of the shooting was individually remembered for her or his contribution to the community.
“[The memorial] is very personal for members of our department, and we are very happy that the university is recognizing our colleagues,” Polyzou said.
The crowd consisted primarily of those who remembered when the event occurred and were affected by the tragedy. It was a sensitive time, as many guests reflected on the colleagues and loved ones they had lost.
“It is still something that you don’t think about routinely, but when it comes up, it comes right back to mind,” Larry Schroeder said, a former member of the UI Physics Department whose office was down the hall from where the shooting took place. “You hear a name or you see an event on television, and you immediately return to that date.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, a mournful rendition of “Amazing Grace” was played on bagpipes, followed by six rings of the Old Capitol bell to symbolize the victims.
Another attendee was Tom Rocklin, the UI vice president for Student Life. He was at the UI 25 years ago and had connections with two victims of the shooting: Cleary and Smith.
“I think it is important for a community to mark the events that shape it, and I thought that today’s ceremony did a wonderful job of doing that,” Rocklin said.
The UI will place a permanent memorial on the north side of the Old Capitol in remembrance of those lost.
“It’s good to have a memorial for those persons, because even for us who are associated with them it’s easy to get involved in our daily lives and put them aside because we have no control over what we can do after an event like that,” Schroeder said.
The plaque that will be featured on the memorial will include a quote from Hunter Rawlings, the UI president at the time of the shooting. For many this quote still rings true today.
“We will not only recover, we will become stronger as we draw together in support of the university we love,” the plaque reads
