This past Monday, I really expected the lead story to be about the weather. Winds were howling with gusts to 70mph. Eventually the power went out to more than 50,000 people. I was visiting a group at St Paul's Episcopal church when the news bulletin's began. Something was horribly wrong at Virginia Tech. First came word of a student shot. Then came word of a suspect in custody. As I wrapped up the visit during the lunch hour, a call on the cell phone. The latest report: 22 dead. That can't be right. It just can't be. It must be 2 dead. Even that sounded impossible. As I arrived at work, Keith and Jean were in the studio with wall to wall coverage of the breaking news. The next news conference brought the unspeakable news. 33 dead including the killer. The gasp in the newsroom was audible. My services would not be needed on this day. Howling wind was nothing compared to the tears and wailing coming from Virginia Tech. As I looked around the newsroom, everyone was on task. There was no idle chatter. The phone lines rang constantly. And I mean constantly. At any given moment, we had 5 or 6 live shots arriving in the control room. Our images were being broadcast worldwide on CNN and other media outlets. Our audio was carried on WFIR and Q99. The most experienced broadcast news staff in southwest Virginia was doing their job. I found tears flooding into my eyes on a regular basis. Keith, Jean, Rachel, Alex, Justin, Hollani, Natasha, Susan, Joe, Joy stood up and reported what they knew. Then they hit the road and learned more. But the one who stood tallest was Rachel.
She was in the hot seat because this is her bureau. She had the contacts. She had the knowledge of the campus. Rachel had to stand there for days and report on a disaster. She did it with class even when emotions overwhelmed her. I leave work Friday night with a heavy heart, a new Virginia Tech tie and the confidence that I work for the best news organization in Virginia. No one wanted to report this news. But as our assignment editor said as he left work at the end of a devastating week:
It's been a long week and we're all tired but I wanted to say:
Be proud of who you are.
Be proud of the work you did this week.
Be proud of the people you did it for-- the people of Virginia Tech and Southwest Virginia.
Be proud of who you are.
Be proud of the work you did this week.
Be proud of the people you did it for-- the people of Virginia Tech and Southwest Virginia.
