In wake of tragedy, a show of Pryde
Middletown gathers to reflect on loss of student at Va. Tech
BY DAN NEWMAN
Staff Writer

ERIC SUCAR staff Amrita Grewal (l-r), Jen Marini, and Melissa Eng share a moment of silence during the candlelight vigil held for 2001 Middletown High School North graduate Julia Pryde at the school's football field Friday. Pryde was among 32 people killed in the Virginia Tech shootings on April 16.

Blacksburg, Va., is where the spotlight has been focused since April 16's horrific shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech University. On Friday night, part of it shifted 490 miles to the north for a ceremony honoring the life of 2001 Middletown High School North graduate Julia Pryde, one of the 32 people killed in the shootings.

A few hundred people turned out for the event, arranged by friends of Pryde, a 23-year-old graduate student in the biological systems and engineering department at the university.

Among the many speakers who shared their memories of Pryde at the ceremony was current North Principal Patricia Vari-Cartier.

"I knew Julia since she was born, and she was always a wonderful person and one that was always willing to take on a challenge," Vari-Cartier said.

Julia Pryde's yearbook picture from Middletown High School North.

Township Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger likened the events of that Monday to other tragedies that affected the area.

"It almost felt like 9/11 again, as far as the impact that our town has felt. Also in a sense, the Staten Island Ferry incident as well," Scharfenberger said. "With those two occurrences, the people in Middletown banded together in order to heal, and in this case, it's no different. There really is a feeling of shock and helplessness. We pulled together in the past and we're doing it again now."

Committeeman Thomas Wilkens, a former Olympic medalist as a swimmer, remembered Pryde from her days as a swimmer, when she was the captain of her team at the North.

"I definitely knew of her, and it ends up that my sister coached her for a while," Wilkens said. "This really is a nice turnout tonight, especially because so many of us are still in shock."

Pryde's sister, Leah, thanked the community for all of its support over the past few days.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Jennifer Pellegrino hugs a friend prior to the candlelight vigil held for 2001 Middletown High School North graduate Julia Pryde, one of the 32 victims in the shooting massacre at Virginia Tech on Monday, April 16. Below, a group of friends share some lighthearted stories about Pryde.

"I really want to express my sincerest thanks to everyone that came out tonight," she said. "It has helped so much to know that we have so many people who care. It has meant so much to us and helped us to get through this."

Pryde also received her bachelor's degree in biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech. While at the school, located in the southwest part of the state, about 40 miles from Roanoke, Pryde traveled to South America to learn more about living conditions on the continent. Her goal was to one day make it to Africa to do the same.

Throughout the ceremony, which lasted just under an hour, friends described Pryde as a guardian angel, a best friend, a wonderful person, and passionate and unique. It's all of these things that amounted to an interesting story, one that seemed to describe what Pryde meant to so many, even those who didn't have much interaction with her.

"We were in New York and a homeless man came up to her and asked for money and Julia said she had none, and then he asked for a cigarette and she said she had none," Pryde's friend Meaghan Connor said.

"He started to walk away, but then Julia offered him a hug, and when she hugged him, you could tell it was sincere. That guy thanked her and said he hadn't received a hug in so long. He said that's exactly what he needed. That's the kind of person she was - always willing to help somebody out whenever they needed it," Connor said.

Pryde is survived by her parents, Karen and Harry; her two brothers, Michael and Keith; and a sister, Leah. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can made to SEEDS, 209 Main St., P.O. Box 824, Blacksburg, Va. 24063.