From the comments about Professor Liviu Librescu in Haaretz, this one in particular seemed apt:
I would be highly surprised if the U.S. did not posthumously award Professor Liviu Librescu with the Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian award that my nation can bestow).
Although there were other heroes during the Virginia Tech massacre like the resident assistant at the first shooting, Prof. Librescu really stands out. Not only was he a Holocaust survivor, an accomplished academic of the highest rank who devoted his life to teaching others, and a highly respected expert in the field of aeronautical engineering, he also (at the age of 76 which is well beyond retirement age) did his best to protect and to save the lives of his students at the cost of his own life while under fire.
This guy is a hero and Romania, Israel, the U.S., and the rest of the civilized world should be proud of him as a shining example to the rest of us.
He was in fact the gift of three countries. From Romania he brought the knowledge of aeronautical engineering and solid and fluid mechanics, having earned a B.S. in 1952, an M.A. in 1953, a Ph.D. in 1969, and the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in 2000, all from the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest.
From Israel he brought his knowledge of terrorism as an event that can occur in a flash, on any day, out of nowhere. He had lived there for seven years after his release from Communist-controlled Romania. His son and others in his family still lived there. He knew that one’s family could be in danger on a bus, or in a café, or in a school.
In the United States, he knew the blessings of freedom and academic inquiry, producing hundreds of scholarly papers and a long list of international honors. The class he was teaching Monday morning was one of four of his courses for the Spring 2007 semester, imparting his knowledge to students 50 years younger than he.
And from the Holocaust, the ashes of the civilized world, he brought his knowledge of the need to stand up to evil, to never let it happen again. At age 76, early in the morning, in an unlikely place, terror came to his door. He knew what to do.
UPDATE: The Jerusalem Post report on the burial in Israel today includes this quote from his son Arie Librescu: “[T]he courses in aerodynamics have ended. On the 16th of the month, you started a new career, teaching a new subject — heroism — [which] millions of students are learning.”
Marlena Librescu, center, the wife of Romanian born Engineering Professor Liviu Librescu, who was killed in the Virginia Tech shootings, is comforted by her son Arie, left, and other relatives during his funeral in Raanana, Israel, Friday, April 20, 2007. The Holocaust survivor was gunned down trying to save his students in the Virginia Tech shooting rampage and was buried in Israel Friday to the sobs of grieving family. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Haaretz reports that a presidential representative from Romania attended the funeral today and bestowed on Marlena and their children the Order of the Star of Romania for his bravery and his contributions to science.