A plaque in honor of former Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington was dedicated yesterday during a ceremony at the Copeley Road bridge on the one-year anniversary of her disappearance.
Harrington's parents, Daniel and Gil Harrington, spoke at the ceremony, as well as University Provost Arthur Garson. Her brother, Alex Harrington, also was in attendance.
Some who gathered for the ceremony donned homemade T-shirts or posters. One of the posters read, "Justice for Morgan," and included the composite sketch and wanted poster of the case's primary suspect.
Garson spoke before the plaque was unveiled, remarking that the lessons learned from the tragic event offered an opportunity "to teach us about the human condition." The permanent plaque represents the need to "remain vigilant in the effort to keep college campuses safe," he said, adding, "Campus safety is everyone's job."
Harrington, who was last seen at the bridge Oct. 17, 2009, was attending a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena with friends when she left her seat during the show and exited the arena. Witnesses reported seeing her walking on the Copeley Road bridge near Ivy Road at about 9:30 p.m. that night. Harrington's remains were found in January in a remote field on a farm outside of Charlottesville. No arrests have been made in connection with her death, although forensic evidence has linked her death with a 2005 Fairfax City assault that remains unsolved.
Both Dan and Gil Harrington thanked the multiple police departments that have worked on Morgan's case. Gil Harrington added that much work is still needed to "catch the monster" that abducted and murdered her daughter. Dan Harrington also thanked University President Teresa A. Sullivan for her efforts and asked the community to continue to "think about the change we need in the culture of violence in this country."
Dan Harrington said many errors were made the night that Morgan disappeared.
"The lessons learned from these mistakes show us the importance of personal and community responsibility," he said. "Our goal is that this should not happen to any other person in the future."
Garson presented the family with a framed statement from the Board of Visitors that declares the resolution to place a permanent plaque at the site of Morgan Harrington's disappearance in her memory.
"Today is a bright and shining day at the end of a very long year," Garson said.
The ceremony was followed by a screening of the film "A Gift for the Village" in the Newcomb Hall Theater. The film documents Jane Vance's trip to Nepal to deliver a piece of artwork. Vance was Morgan Harrington's professor at Virginia Tech, and Morgan Harrington appears briefly in the film, which is dedicated in her honor. Gil Harrington referred to Vance as Morgan's mentor and said the trip to Nepal was a journey Morgan had planned to go on.
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