This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Julia Pryde, daughter of Harry Pryde Jr. ’69 and his wife, Karen, was among the victims of Monday’s shootings. She attended Virginia Tech as an undergraduate, receiving her diploma last May, and was enrolled in a master’s degree program in biological systems engineering.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pryde family during this extraordinarily difficult time,” said President Daniel Weiss.
Published reports note that Pryde was researching water quality in South America and recently traveled to Ecuador for the project. She participated in environmental projects in the Blacksburg, Va., community and was involved in a nonprofit group that teaches ecology to schoolchildren.
She is remembered as a talented and accomplished student and a warm, uplifting person. “I can’t say enough about how kind she was,” said her department chair in a newspaper interview. “She was a very lovely lady, loved by everyone.” Another professor said, “She was full of joy. She had a joy for life that radiated.” A neighbor from her hometown called Pryde a “down-to-earth, sweet girl.”