Thursday, April 19, 2007

An angel in a yarmulke

We've all heard by now about the 77 year old Professor Liviu Librescu, of Virginia Tech. He's the Romanian born engineering professor who jumped in front of and barricaded the door to his classroom at Va Tech on Monday, April 16th.

Professor Librescu leaves behind a legacy not many in the last 100 years were able to assemble. Born in 1930's Romania, as a boy between the ages 7 and 14 he watched as thousands of his own were whisked off to Nazi internment camps, most of whom never returned. Fortunately for all of us, the good professor did. After growing up and obtaining his education, he and his wife had to endure the pain of another ruthless dictatorship: Professor Librescu was imprisoned for not joining the communist party by Romanian Dictator/Animal, Nikola Ceaucescu. Through the intervention of Israeli Prime Minister Menahem Begin, the professor, his wife, and two sons were able to migrate to Israel, which led to their mid-1980's entrance into this country.

On Monday morning, professor Librescu finally found peace in his life, but not before battling it out one final time.

Through the window of the door to his classroom, Liviu Librescu came face to face one last time with evil. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that professor Librescu had instantaneous recognition of the eyes he was peering into. In 77 years, you can forget a lot of things, but you're not going to forget that. Liviu Librescu saw the eyes - the same eyes he had seen twice before in a life that seemed rife with these images - and reacted accordingly. Ordering his students to jump, in a nano-second he threw his body against the door and blocked it just long enough to provide one last saintly message to the world.

"I am strength. I am justice. I am perseverance and tolerance. I am Liviu Librescu, and I will be heard."

If there is a God, and I believe there is; if he listens to requests, and I believe he does; then right about now Liviu Librescu is being fitted for a set of custom wings, the kind reserved for the most special of angels. The angels that were not only enormous in life, but unbelievably larger in death.

Peace everyone. Peace.

6 comments:

Serena said...

What a beautifully written, heartfelt tribute to one who was a true hero in the midst of carnage. Professor Librescu must have known as he gazed into the flat, dead eyes of pure evil that his selfless act would most likely result in his death, and he made the sacrifice willingly. He is indeed wearing custom angel wings now.

Law Girl said...

Beautiful.

Mayden' s Voyage said...

Peace.

Come over and read at MV when you have a moment~

leelee said...

again I do believe that every single event on our lives happens for a reason and a purpose..Mr. Librescu lived to save lives on Monday..

Yes an angel... god bless him

Helene said...

lovely tribute. Thanks.

Scary Monster said...

Man. The guy were probably thinking, 'Just how many times do I gotta deal with this shit!'

Poor bastard. Probably took a job in academia thinking that he'd well done of the lunatics from his past.

Yeah, well iffin there be someone giving out wings, me be pretty sure that his be of a spectacularly beautiful plumage.

stomp.