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Lisa, thank you for your wonderful comments about this tragedy. It is so sad.

My President, President-Elect and I were in Chcago Monday at the ASAE CEO-CEO Roundtable, when I began getting emails from my executive team in New York that there was a shooting incident at Virginia Tech. Like the rest of the nation, the three of us helplessly watched emails and web postings begin the tally of the wounded and killed.

We learned that three of the five killed faculty were engineering faculty, and two of those were our members and friends. The rest of the morning was filled with email exchanges to develop a communication of sympathy for our fallen colleagues and their families for our web site, and to develop a letter of condolence and support for the engineering dean, faculty and students who are our members at Tech. As we quietly focused on our Trios, reading and exchanging a stream of email, I'm sure that we must have tried the patience of Glenn, Bud and Jean, who were doing a fine job of leading a sell-out crowd at the CEO conference.

This morning I received a message from the Richard Benson, engineering dean, and I'd like to share a brief quote:

"I want to say at the outset that the outpouring of kindness and support is having an enormously beneficial effect at Virginia Tech. We have all shed tears of grief these last two day, but we have also shed tears of emotion at the many, many kind acts that have been shown to us."

Thanks to everyone who has helped and supported the Tech family. Please continue your prayers and support on behalf of them, and their extended families and friends. This is a time of great need and everyone's help will make a difference.

I thought some of you might be interested in the letter from Richard Benson, Dean of Engineering, at Virginia Tech. It's at http://files.asme.org/asmeorg/11840.pdf

ASME, the United Engineering Foundation, and other engineering societies are working together for direct support for Dick, and his faculty, staff and students. If you or your organization are looking for ways to help, drop me a line at carterv@asme.org

Cheers!

Thank you so much for posting about this, Virgil. I'm so sorry to hear how your association has been affected by the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

I thought I'd share one thing, in hopes that it might be helpful to you. At a past association where I worked, two of our members (a married couple) were murdered in their home. Because they were both very prominent in that profession, our association was very involved in communicating to our members about the loss and facilitating as members shared their memories with each other, which many wished to do.

I was also in touch with the families of the two members who had died, and over time I saw how much those family members were touched by the reminiscences of the professional colleagues whose lives had been touched by them. The family had been aware of the work that their lost family members did, but they had no idea how many people had been affected by them, and it meant a great deal to them to find out.

If your members come to you to share their experiences and affection for the members you have lost, I would encourage you to share those memories with their families (if you are in touch with their families at all). It can mean so much to see that your loved ones had a huge positive impact on the world, even though their lives were so senselessly cut short.