Liviu Librescu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Liviu Librescu
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| Born | August 18, 1930 |
| Died | April 16, 2007 (aged 76) Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Murder (gunshot wounds) |
| Citizenship | Israel United States Romania |
| Alma mater | Politehnica University of Bucharest |
| Known for | Research in aeroelasticity and aerodynamics |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineering |
| Institutions | Virginia Tech Tel Aviv University Technion – Israel Institute of Technology |
Liviu Librescu (born August 18, 1930 – died April 16, 2007) was a brilliant scientist and engineer from Romania and the United States. He was a survivor of the Holocaust, a terrible time in history. He was known for his important research in aeroelasticity and aerodynamics, which are about how things like airplanes fly and how they are built to be strong.
Professor Librescu is most famous for his brave actions during the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. He held the door of his classroom shut, giving almost all of his students time to escape through the windows. He was shot and killed during the attack, but his heroism saved many lives. After his death, he was given the Order of the Star of Romania, which is the highest award a civilian can receive in Romania. It's a remarkable coincidence that his heroic act happened on Yom HaShoah, which is Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel.
At the time of his death, he was a Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Tech.
Life and Career
Liviu Librescu was born in 1930 into a Jewish family in Ploiești, Romania. During World War II, when Romania joined forces with Nazi Germany, his family was sent to a labor camp and later to a ghetto. His wife, Marlena, also survived the Holocaust. She later shared how difficult it was for them as Jews living among anti-Semitic people during the war. A cousin described Liviu as an "extraordinarily gifted person and very altruistic," meaning he was smart and always thought of others.
After surviving the Holocaust, Librescu returned to Romania. He studied aerospace engineering at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, earning his first degree in 1952 and then a Master's degree. He later received his Ph.D. in fluid mechanics in 1969. For many years, he worked as a researcher at various institutes in Bucharest.
However, his career faced problems in the 1970s. He refused to support the government of Nicolae Ceaușescu. When he asked to move to Israel, the Academy of Science of Romania fired him. In 1976, a research paper he had secretly published in the Netherlands brought him international attention.
After a long struggle, the Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin, personally asked the Romanian President to let the Librescu family leave. They finally moved to Israel in 1978.
From 1979 to 1986, Professor Librescu taught at Tel Aviv University and the Technion in Israel. In 1985, he came to the United States to teach at Virginia Tech. He stayed there until his death. He was known for publishing many scientific articles, more than any other professor at Virginia Tech, according to his wife.
What He Studied
Professor Librescu's main areas of study included:
- How modern materials and structures, like those used in airplanes, behave.
- The stability of aircraft parts when they fly very fast.
- How structures respond to different forces, like strong winds or explosions.
- Designing structures that can change their shape or properties.
- Making strong, lightweight materials for planes and other machines.
Death and Legacy
At 76 years old, Liviu Librescu was one of the 32 people killed in the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007. A gunman entered Norris Hall and began shooting. Professor Librescu was teaching a class in Room 204. When the shooter tried to enter his classroom, Professor Librescu bravely held the door shut. He shouted to his students to escape through the windows.
While the gunman pushed against the door, Professor Librescu held it closed, giving most of his students enough time to climb out. The students kicked open the window screens and jumped to safety. Some had minor leg injuries, but they were alive. Professor Librescu was shot four times through the door. Out of 23 students in his class, only one student, Minal Panchal, sadly lost her life.
Many of Librescu's students called him a hero. Caroline Merrey, one of his students, said she and about 20 others escaped because he told them to hurry. She said, "I don’t think I would be here if it wasn't for [Librescu]." His son, Joe, received many emails from students thanking his father for saving their lives.
After his death, Professor Librescu's body was quickly released to his family. He had a funeral service in New York and was buried in Israel on April 20. In his home country of Romania, people placed flowers and lit candles in his memory at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest. The shooting happened on Yom HaShoah, which is Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Honors and Awards
Professor Librescu received many awards for his academic work. He was a member of important science academies in Ukraine and Armenia. He also received honorary degrees and awards for his research and teaching.
After his death, the President of Romania, Traian Băsescu, honored Professor Librescu with the Order of the Star of Romania. This award recognized his scientific work and his heroism during the shooting, where he saved his students' lives by sacrificing his own. The Chabad Jewish Student Center at Virginia Tech was named after him.
In April 2009, a classroom at Stockton University in New Jersey was dedicated to Liviu Librescu. The director of a museum said, "This man, who endured so much during the Holocaust, thought of his students’ safety before his own in a time of crisis. ... He deserves to be remembered for these heroic actions."
The street in front of the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest was also named in his honor.
A special professorship at Columbia Law School was created in his name, called the "Liviu Librescu Professor of Law." This honor recognizes his heroism and supports a professor who studies national security or social justice.
See also
- History of the Jews in Romania
- Romanian American
- Israeli American
