This is for everyone who knew me in my years there. Don’t get bogged down
in the past tense; there’s so much more to see beyond that. I’m still not
wholly convinced I’d be where I am now if it weren’t for all of you.
Here’s to you, the people who put up with my endless work and my frequent
absences. Here’s to you; to the memories, the faces, and the places that
I’ll always remember; to the shenanigans which stand cemented in our past;
to the fights, the tears, and the laughs; to the blue skies and white snow;
to the curious but agreeable union of orange and maroon; to the deafening
roar of Lane stadium and the serenity of the duck pond; to the twilit
corridors roamed by the craziest and brightest among us; to the hushed
rumors that color our days; to knowing that the experience, missing just
one piece, wouldn’t be as good; to knowing these are the experiences
we should never forget.
This is for the personable town where I was born; the place where I lived,
loved, lost, learned, and left; the place that taught me one can love
ideas as well as people; the place that is as much an idea as a destination;
the place I saw, through the worst of times, that there’s still some basic
good left to be found; the place where a tiny piece of me still lives, at
heart; the place I’ll always carry with me; the place I’ll try to share
with people through my deeds, even if they can never and visit and
understand its character; the place I know we should never forget.
I hope I’m as much a part of your Blacksburg as you are parts of mine.
Regardless of what it is to you, make sure you Never Forget it.
Adieu. Hopefully I’ll be back some day.
