Liviu Librescu, if you are unaware, is the very defi nition of a man and a hero. The 76-year-old professor of engineering science and mechanics, Romanian-born Holocaust survivor and Israeli citizen, according to witnesses, used his body as an obstacle against the Virginia Tech gunman. He was shot numerous times while giving his students time to flee through the windows of the classroom. According to his students, his actions spared the lives of many at the expense of his own.
Librescu proved his academic mind through his numerous publications and honors in the scientific community; he proved his character and integrity in his final acts.