Handmade and Heartfelt: Selections from the April 16, 2007 Condolence Archives

Following the events of April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech received thousands of handmade and heartfelt items to express condolences, thoughts and prayers of healing and support, and solace for the Hokie Community.

The Virginia Tech April 16, 2007 Condolence Archives was created by the University Archives, under the direction of University Archivist, Tamara Kennelly, to preserve this outpouring of support from communities across the world. Virginia Tech received over 90,000 letters, cards, posters, banners, photographs, artifacts, textiles, books, certificates, and more from people and organizations all around the world and left at memorials on the Blacksburg campus. Special Collections and University Archives collected representative items in the Virginia Tech April 16, 2007 Archives of the University Libraries, a collection of over 500 cubic feet of material. Items from every continent, 80 countries, and all 50 U.S. states are represented in the collection.

Starting in the summer of 2007, representative artifacts were digitally photographed to share with the world. Those artifacts are publicly available online as part of the Virginia Tech April 16, 2007, Condolence Archives of the University Libraries on VTechWorks at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/11385.

This exhibit, "Handmade and Heartfelt: Selections from the April 16, 2007 Condolence Archives," highlights just a few of the collected items that were made by hand to share the hearts of the world with the Hokie Community.

We continue to remember the 32 victims:

Ross A. Alameddine
Christopher James Bishop
Brian R. Bluhm
Ryan Christopher Clark
Austin Michelle Cloyd
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva
Kevin P. Granata
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
Caitlin Millar Hammaren
Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
Rachael Elizabeth Hill
Emily Jane Hilscher
Jarrett Lee Lane
Matthew Joseph La Porte
Henry J. Lee

Liviu Librescu
G.V. Loganathan
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan
Lauren Ashley McCain
Daniel Patrick O'Neil
Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz
Minal Hiralal Panchal
Erin Nicole Peterson
Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
Julia Kathleen Pryde
Mary Karen Read
Reema Joseph Samaha
Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
Leslie Geraldine Sherman
Maxine Shelly Turner
Nicole Regina White

Addressing difficult topics can be stressful and cause anxiety, difficulty concentrating, sleep loss, and even concerns about safety. If you or a loved one needs help, visit the Mental Health Resources page for available resources.

Credits

Curated by Amelia Verkerk, Sterling Bryant, and Anthony Wright de Hernandez

Special thanks to Julia Westblade and Maggie Scarborough in the Digital Imaging Lab