Norris Hall peace center has first open house

  Virginia Tech’s Center for Peace and Violence Prevention hosted some victim’s families and survivors of the 4/16 massacre for a private presentation.

  Thirty people, including the gunman, died on in the west wing on the second floor of Norris Hall on April 16, 2007.

  The second floor now houses the peace center, as well as lab’s for the university’s college of mechanical sciences and engineering.

  Peace center director Jerzy Nowak, whom lost his wife, a french professor, on 4/16, briefed the families and survivors on the center’s long term plans to promote peace and engage in research.

  “We support the center,“ said Joe Samaha afterward.  Samaha lost his daughter Reema inside Norris Hall.

  “It’s something wonderful that came out of this tragedy,“ he said.