Gayle Marie Dubowski, 20
Gayle Dubowski, a sophomore from Carol Stream, Ill., was an anthropology major. The Associated Press quoted a friend she made at the DeKalb Church of Christ, Kelly Cavanaugh, as saying that “she was a good person with a big heart.”
Catalina (Cathy) Garcia, 20
Cathy Garcia, a sophomore, was the youngest child of a Mexican immigrant family in Cicero, Ill.
“She wanted to become somebody in life — that’s why she was going to school,” her father, Jacinto Garcia, said this morning on a local Spanish-language radio station, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
Ms. Garcia had not declared her major, but she enjoyed working with children and hoped to become a teacher, her sister told the Sun Times.
Julianna Gehant, 32
Julianna Gehant, of Meriden, Ill., served for more than 12 years in the U.S. Army before returning to her home state to go to college.
As a staff sergeant in the army, Ms. Gehant was stationed in Bosnia, Japan, and several other locations around the world, according to North Central Illinois’s News Tribune. Back in the United States, she was serving in the Army Reserve and commuting more than 40 miles from her rural home to the university, where she was studying elementary education.
“She set a goal for herself to go to college and use the service to get there,” Christine Benson, a former teacher, told the News Tribune. “She had strong convictions about life and where she’s going.”
Ryanne Elizabeth Mace, 19
Ryanne Mace, a sophomore from Carpentersville, Ill., was studying psychology while working at Elder-Beerman, a department store, in DeKalb, Ill.
“She was a sweet soul,” a friend, Melly Corzo, posted on a Facebook page set up in Ms. Mace’s memory. “She always found a way to lighten the mood.”
She was an only child, but her family’s home was always full of her friends, her father, Eric Mace, told the Chicago Sun Times.
On Thursday, before the shooting, Ms. Mace posted a message to her MySpace page: “Happy Valentine’s Day Everybody! … Saying you love someone is not enough. It’s how you treat them that shows your true feelings.”
Daniel L. (Dan) Parmenter, 20
Dan Parmenter was a finance major, a recreational rugby player, and a loyal fraternity brother dedicated to community service. The sophomore, from Westchester, Ill., also worked on the advertising staff of the campus newspaper, the Northern Star. There and elsewhere, he had a reputation for looking out for his friends.
“He was always helping other people out, giving you a ride to class, helping with homework,” Jason Garcia, president of the campus chapter of Mr. Parmenter’s fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, told the Chicago Tribune. He recently helped organize bingo games at a local nursing home, Mr. Garcia said.
Mr. Parmenter was sitting in the first row of his ocean-science class on Thursday, according to news reports. —Sara Lipka
