This has been a terribly difficult week for us here in Blacksburg, as you are certainly aware following the shootings at Virginia Tech. My wife and I started New City Media in this wonderful little college town in 1995. For all those years most of the troubles of the world have been “out there,” while Blacksburg remained a safe haven.
But one of the things we love about Blacksburg is that the world comes to us. We welcome people from all over the US and every corner of the globe (do globes have corners?). They bring a wonderful richness to life here. I wouldn’t trade the openness of our community for an artificial sense of security any day. We would be kidding ourselves to think that evil is only “out there.” It can grow anywhere, in any heart. So can love, and new hope.
Blacksburg was never safe. But it is my home.
Some of our friends and clients have been wondering how we have been affected by the tragedy. Here are a few things to know:
- Tom Zimmerman, one of our student employees, lost his good friend Maxine Turner. They had known each other since high school.
- Marilyn Myers’ son Jonathan is working at Montgomery Regional Hospital helping with rehabilitation for the 8 VT students there.
- Nick Morgan has a friend who was one of the few survivors in one of the classrooms. Another friend skipped German class and narrowly missed becoming a victim.
- We had been doing some web design work for the VT English Department, so we know some of the people affected there.
- Many others we know lost friends and colleagues.
We also want to thank all of the officers and staff of the Blacksburg and Virginia Tech Police Departments, Fire Departments and Rescue Squads, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, the Virginia State Police, and the FBI. You lay your lives on the line for us, you were courageous and professional on Monday and have been working tirelessly since then on our behalf. You have our deepest gratitude and respect.
Thank you sincerely for the many emails, calls and expressions of concern we have received from you all. It’s going to be a long road back to “normal” for our community, but we’re taking it a step at a time.
All the best,
David Poteet, VT ‘92
2 Comments
just wanted to say thanks for your note on your homepage … I too am a VT alum and am a data research consultant for Carilion New River Valley med center … we held an outdoor memorial service over here for employees today … have used your website as an example of great design for a master’s level course I am taking in Flash … am recommending your company to anyone looking for classy web design … keep faith … Sincerely, Dave P …
It’s been a tough. My best to all those over there at your shop…I know you all have lots of friends and relatives in Blacksburg — as well as clients.
Nice to see a blog from the region’s finest design firm.