‘Stand strong — there will be a brighter day’

RICHMOND, Va. - Bells tolled and a moment of silence was observed at memorial services Friday to honor the 32 victims of the deadliest rampage by a lone gunman in modern U.S. history.

“We all suffer. We all grieve. There is no escape from that for any of us,” Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine told students, faculty, staff of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in an emotional address in Richmond, the state capital.

But he implored Virginia Tech to “stand strong,” promising, “There will be a brighter day.”

Also on Friday, the family of Seung-Hui Cho, 23, the man responsible for the bloodbath, spoke out for the first time, issuing a statement saying they felt “hopeless, helpless and lost” and “never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence.”

At Friday’s memorial service in Richmond, 32 Virginia Tech students read out a single name, one for each of Cho's victims. After each name was intoned, a small bell was rung.

Church bells also rang out in Blacksburg on the Virginia Tech campus. Most of the hundreds of people making their way across the campus stopped where they were and bowed their heads in respect.

“It’s good to feel the love of people around you,” said Alice Lo, an alumna and friend of Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, a French instructor killed in the rampage. “With this evil, there is still goodness.”

Kaine declared Friday a day of mourning. The U.S. Senate joined the moment of silence, and similar observances were held around the country, from California to Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital.

Hokies return to the diamond
On a day marked by tears and mourning, prayer vigils and tolling bells, an evening at the ballpark — Virginia Tech’s first sporting event since Monday’s rampage — provided a hint of relief. A sea of maroon and orange, the school’s colors, filled the stands, to support not only the players but also the entire community.

Despite a late rally, the Hokies lost to the University of Miami 11-9, but the result seemed inconsequential.

“We won before we got to the field today. The scoreboard was insignificant,” Hokies coach Pete Hughes said.

“It was a bittersweet feeling playing this game,” outfielder Jose Cueto said. “It feels good to get out and get away from everything but the fact that we’re getting away from that tragedy makes it hurt.”

Joe Saunders, the only Hokies' alumnus currently in the majors, wore his old college cap, wrote “VT” on his cleats and scribbled “Virginia Tech” in the dirt on the mound.

Saunders finished up his tribute by pitching six scoreless innings Friday night in the Los Angeles Angels’ 8-4 victory over Seattle on Friday night.

“I was really nervous coming in — just the sheer fact of knowing what the game meant to me, to all the Hokie Nation out there in Virginia, to my family, and to this team because we needed to win.

“There was a lot riding on it.”

Relatives urge focus on the victims
As experts pored over Cho’s twisted writings and his videotaped rant, parents and officials urged people to instead focus on the victims of Cho’s shooting spree.

“We want the world to know and celebrate our children’s lives, and we believe that’s the central element that brings hope in the midst of great tragedy,” said Peter Read of Annandale, Va., whose 19-year-old daughter, Mary Karen, was killed. “These kids were the best that their generation has to offer.”

Elsewhere, private funeral ceremonies were held for Egyptian Waleed Mohammed Shaalan and Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan of Indonesia. Engineering professor Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor who died trying to save his students, was buried in Israel.

Note on the gunman’s name In the aftermath of the shootings at Virginia Tech, police gave the gunman’s name as Cho Seung-Hui, with the surname first, as is common in many Asian cultures. A statement issued by the family indicated that they prefer to use the surname last, in the Western fashion. NBC News and MSNBC.com have adopted the rendering Seung-Hui Cho.

In Pennsylvania, members of Jeremy Herbstritt’s family sat quietly in the front of a worship hall in State College as students and staff lighted candles and signed a condolence banner to mourn the Pennsylvania State University alumnus, who was pursuing graduate studies in civil engineering at Virginia Tech.

“We will remember,” read a large placard next to the banner near the front of the hall. Several students and staffers wore Virginia Tech sweat shirts. Virginia Tech alumni declared Friday a national day to wear the Hokies’ colors.

Others journeyed to Blacksburg even though they had no connection to the university. One of them was the Rev. Michael Shoels, whose son, Isaiah, died eight years ago Friday in the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

“I’m here for that purpose and that purpose only, because these families need support,” Shoels told NBC News.

‘Ready in my head to move on’
Friends and family members also urged the nation not to forgot those wounded in the attacks, saying they would need help, love and support. Twenty-six people were reported wounded Monday, nine of whom remained in area hospitals Friday.

For the friends of Colin Goddard, humor was the best approach. A gaggle of friends were cracking jokes around his hospital bed, where he was recovering from three gunshot wounds.

“He needs to come back and make burnt toast for all of us,” one said.

Goddard, 21, an international studies student from Richmond, told NBC’s TODAY show, “I’m more than ready in my head to move on and keep going forward.”

“I’m ready to laugh,” he said. “I’m more than mentally prepared to move on with this. It’s just my physical limitations at this point are what’s bringing me down.”

Goddard’s mother, Lynne, told TODAY’s Ann Curry that “we’re not going to live in fear now.”

“There’s risk in life. You’ve got to be able to accept that risk and just keep going on and not live in fear constantly. We’re going to keep moving forward.”

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