Feb. 14 takes on tragic connotations for many

For some people, tomorrow will be romantic. For others, it will be depressing.

For many in the area, Valentine's Day will be a reminder of a horrific event, the shootings that claimed the lives of five students at Northern Illinois University last year.

During the past year, I have had the opportunity to speak with students who were in the Cole Hall lecture hall were five students were slain and parents of the young men and women who died on Feb. 14.

All of them will forever bear the scars of Feb. 14. But all of them showed remarkable resolve to get their lives back on track while remembering the lives of the friends and family members they lost.

Patrick Korellis still has shotgun pellets in his body. But after he was released from the hospital, Korellis made it clear to his family and school counselors that the shootings and his injuries had not shaken his intent to graduate on time with a degree in geology and meteorology.

That's exactly what he did.

Lindsay Ullmann, a Schaumburg native, was not hit by any bullets, but the memories of Feb. 14 and the emotional trauma they inflicted made it difficult for her to return to the scene of the horror.

Still, she made herself go back DeKalb and retrace the path she took as she fled Cole Hall. In time, she was able to muster the strength to focus on her classes and work a job at the Graduate School library.

Eric and Mary Kay Mace lost their only child, Ryanne Mace, in the Feb. 14 shootings. While there will always be a void in their lives, the Carpentersville couple decided the tragedy would not derail their lives, their careers or their marriage.

They dedicated themselves to memorializing their daughter, a multitalented young woman who aspired to help people like the shooter who killed her.

While their daughter will never be replaced, the scholarship the Maces founded will help train future generations of psychologists who will carry on Ryanne's mission after her death.

Dozens of other students who witnessed the horror of Feb. 14 showed the same determination to finish school, while all of the families have sought to build legacies that their children never had the chance to leave.

I thank all the students and parents who shared their stories with us, helping us write the painful history of an event that for many in northern Illinois will forever alter the meaning of Valentine's Day.

Tomorrow is a day of remembrance for NIU. Events throughout the day will remember those who died, celebrate their lives and reflect on how far the university community has come in a year.

As we head to the florist and the card shop tomorrow, we should remember those who are missing someone this Valentine's Day and applaud them for showing us how love can triumph over violence.