NIU Shootings

DEKALB, Ill. (CBS) ― It was one day that scarred thousands of lives.

Saturday, family and friends remember the victims of a deadly shooting rampage at Northern Illinois University. At a ceremony on campus, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn laid a wreath in honor of the five students killed one year ago Saturday.

Mourners recalled the young lives cut short – sharing stories through tears and laughter. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports on the day of remembrance.

"We feel the loss of those who died, and we hold their families close in our hearts," said NIU president John Peters.

Peters spoke to about 3,000 people inside NIU's Convocation Center. Each person inside came to remember five students, who touched the lives of so many.

"The week before the shooting, we were having a snowball fight outside the house," said Dan Parmenter's friend, Gina Grazian. "He was a great guy."

Police say Dan Parmenter, Ryanne Mace, Catalina Garcia, Julianna Gehant, and Gayle Dubrowski were all killed by gunman Steven Kazmierczak. After also wounding more than a dozen people, Kazmierczak, took his own life.

"I was on campus when the event happened and I just came back to pay my respects and reflect," said NIU alum Paul Curtis.

The ceremony was called "NIU Remembers: A Legacy of Character." There was a very touching moment, when students from the School of Theatre and Dance, read memories from the family members of those who died.

Those who reached out to help in the aftermath of the tragedy were also honored -- among them, the group Animal Assisted Crisis Response Cody, the Dalmatian, was at NIU, the week the campus reopened.

"The warm feeling, small puppy dog kisses…it's just a chance for unconditional love," said Amy Linder of Animal Assisted Crisis Response.

When the ceremony came to an end, those who knew the victims, made their way to Cole Hall. Still closed, it's the place where the tragedy unfolded, one year ago today.

"It's insane, still to think about it," said one memorial attendee.

Long-stemmed peach roses rest against one entrance, while carnations are cradled in the door handles of another. All are a somber reminder of the lives lost.

In front of Cole Hall, there are five white crosses adorned with teddy bears, flowers and the names of each victim. Courtney Roy came to visit the cross, bearing the name of her childhood friend, Gayle Dubrowksi.

"She would've wanted me to be here," said 20-year-old Courtney Roy of her childhood friend, Gayle Dubowski, who was killed in the slayings. "She always pushed me and she's pushing me now."

It was Roy's first visit to the campus. Dubowski had asked her to come before, but there was never time.

"It's a little scary, I guess because of the emotion of last year coming back," Roy said.

Roy was in the audience at the memorial service. The stands were dotted with people wearing NIU's red colors. President John Peters concentrated on the legacy of the students who died.

"A year ago in this very place we vowed not to let an act of violence define us -- and we have not," he said. "We are strengthened by a renewed sense of unity and purpose."

Chicagoan Adekunle Sosina, 22, appeared shaken as he left the service. The senior said he would have been in Cole Hall, where the shootings took place, if he hadn't skipped a class.

"I feel like it could've been anybody," he said. "You have to pay homage to your fellow students."

People gathered around five markers engraved with the names of each student killed, along with the words, "Forward Together." Quinn, NIU President John Peters and relatives of the slain students approached slowly in a procession as the campus bellotower tolled.

Two by two, relatives and administrators approached the markers and hung a wreath by each one. They bowed their heads, wiped tears and embraced as the belltower kept tolling.

But the memorial wasn't the only thing that took place Saturday. The day continued with prayer services and Saturday evening, a candlelight vigil.

Just as they had done one year ago, Saturday night they stood outside the NIU student center.

One year ago, they were united in grief, and Saturday, thousands were united in the belief that we're stronger and more compassionate.

"One year later, we are changed; we have been given the bittersweet gift of perspective where we know what is important and what is not," Peters said.

Altogether, 20 people were wounded.

Saturday night, candles were lit, led by five members of organizations, that the five slain students were involved in.

As the ceremony ended, the student chanted: "Red, black" – NIU's colors, a loud expression of strength and resolve.

NIU unveiled plans Saturday for a permanent memorial near the shooting scene – 20 trees will surround five simple granite slabs, each engraved with the name of the shooting victims. NIU announced plans for a $160,000 memorial that will pay tribute to the five slain students. It will be built near Cole Hall, where the shooting happened.

A handwoven quilt arrived last year at Northern Illinois University after the shootings. The quilt features drawings by elementary students in Ohio and the words "We are thankful,'' it has had quite a journey: from a New Jersey school where students' families died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; to a Catholic school in Mississippi devastated by Hurricane Katrina; to an Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pa., where five students were fatally wounded in 2006 by a milk truck driver; to Virginia Tech, where 32 students were gunned down two years ago.

Saturday, the "Comfort Quilt'' will be on display at NIU, along with more than 1,000 letters, drawings, sculptures, artwork and other items sent from all over the world to DeKalb after the shootings.

The display is one of several ways NIU is marking the one-year anniversary of the day former NIU student Steven Kazmierczak walked into a class at Cole Hall in the center of campus and started firing, killing five undergraduate students and wounding 16 others before killing himself.

The day includes a luncheon awarding five $4,000 newly created scholarships to honor the victims; an event honoring the emergency responders and an evening candlelight vigil. A schedule of Saturday's events is at niu.edu.

Also included in the "Today, We are All Huskies'' exhibit are re-creations of the memorials set up spontaneously on campus after the murders and photos of a midnight vigil held in Eastern Europe in honor of the slain students.

James Brunson, assistant vice president for student affairs, said the quilt has been inspirational for the campus, but he knows NIU will eventually end up forwarding it.

"God forbid, if some tragedy should occur, it will be our responsibility to pass the quilt along,'' he said.

The Associated Press and STNG Wire contributed to this report.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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