GPSS IN THE NEWS
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UW HONORS GRIEGO’S MEMORY
Source: The Daily
Author: Siv Prince
Date: May 01, 2007
UW community members, as well as friends, family and colleagues of Rebecca Griego, gathered in Kane Hall last night to honor the memory of a life that was abruptly cut short in last month’s campus shooting.
Television news trucks were camped outside as reporters and photographers from local papers hovered in the wings of a room usually designated for massive lecture courses and the occasional evening performance.
Mourners eventually began trickling in — at first slowly and then suddenly, like a deluge, until the large room was nearly filled to the back rows. A cellist played Bach while people found their seats.
Griego, 26, was the program coordinator at the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Herself a UW graduate, Griego had worked at the Runstad Center for four years, until she was killed by her ex-boyfriend, Jonathan Rowan April 2.
“She graced our community for a thousand days, and in these one-thousand days, in small and large ways, she enriched our community,” said Daniel Friedman, dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
President Mark Emmert extended his sympathies to Griego’s family.
“She was exemplary of the very best we can offer,” he said. “We can only imagine as fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers what it would be like to lose someone like Rebecca.”
Colleagues described Griego as a woman with an inspiring devotion to her job — a true professional and a perfectionist who strove for excellence.
“She was a lean, mean research machine,” said Jim DeLisle, director of the Runstad Center. “Her brother called her the ‘Energizer Bunny.’”
Many admired her intelligence.
“She always had the answer, no matter how obscure, detailed or downright dumb the question was,” said Toby Birdsell, a student she advised at the center. “Mine were often the latter.”
Griego was described as a woman that was kind and generous, a person who was shy about receiving compliments and brought flowers for other people in her office.
“Although she was very professional and organized, she wasn’t at all pretentious,” said Andrew Bjorn, an Urban Design and Planning graduate student. “I wish I were a better story teller —and that I had a great anecdote to compress all of what she meant to me. But it’s the little things — the flowers she brought for the office … her pointy shoes … how much she wanted to go to Japan … how much she loved her job. I can’t express how much I’m going to miss her.”
Some remembered Griego as a loveable woman.
“Those who knew her were smitten with her,” said DeLisle. “And ‘smitten’ really is a good word for it. If you know anyone like her, that’s what it’s like. They don’t make many Rebeccas. … I stand before you a lucky man, because I had the privilege of working with Rebecca Griego for four years.”
Luc de Montigny, an urban design and planning graduate student, tried to find meaning in Griego’s death.
“The world would be a better place if more people were like her,” he said. “Losing someone like Rebecca is a tragedy. Not appreciating people who fill our lives, who make us laugh — that is also a tragedy. That’s what we need to remember tonight.”
Television news trucks were camped outside as reporters and photographers from local papers hovered in the wings of a room usually designated for massive lecture courses and the occasional evening performance.
Mourners eventually began trickling in — at first slowly and then suddenly, like a deluge, until the large room was nearly filled to the back rows. A cellist played Bach while people found their seats.
Griego, 26, was the program coordinator at the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Herself a UW graduate, Griego had worked at the Runstad Center for four years, until she was killed by her ex-boyfriend, Jonathan Rowan April 2.
“She graced our community for a thousand days, and in these one-thousand days, in small and large ways, she enriched our community,” said Daniel Friedman, dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
President Mark Emmert extended his sympathies to Griego’s family.
“She was exemplary of the very best we can offer,” he said. “We can only imagine as fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers what it would be like to lose someone like Rebecca.”
Colleagues described Griego as a woman with an inspiring devotion to her job — a true professional and a perfectionist who strove for excellence.
“She was a lean, mean research machine,” said Jim DeLisle, director of the Runstad Center. “Her brother called her the ‘Energizer Bunny.’”
Many admired her intelligence.
“She always had the answer, no matter how obscure, detailed or downright dumb the question was,” said Toby Birdsell, a student she advised at the center. “Mine were often the latter.”
Griego was described as a woman that was kind and generous, a person who was shy about receiving compliments and brought flowers for other people in her office.
“Although she was very professional and organized, she wasn’t at all pretentious,” said Andrew Bjorn, an Urban Design and Planning graduate student. “I wish I were a better story teller —and that I had a great anecdote to compress all of what she meant to me. But it’s the little things — the flowers she brought for the office … her pointy shoes … how much she wanted to go to Japan … how much she loved her job. I can’t express how much I’m going to miss her.”
Some remembered Griego as a loveable woman.
“Those who knew her were smitten with her,” said DeLisle. “And ‘smitten’ really is a good word for it. If you know anyone like her, that’s what it’s like. They don’t make many Rebeccas. … I stand before you a lucky man, because I had the privilege of working with Rebecca Griego for four years.”
Luc de Montigny, an urban design and planning graduate student, tried to find meaning in Griego’s death.
“The world would be a better place if more people were like her,” he said. “Losing someone like Rebecca is a tragedy. Not appreciating people who fill our lives, who make us laugh — that is also a tragedy. That’s what we need to remember tonight.”