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Today's most e-mailed
Prior days' news: By date | Search This week's print issue Back issues: By date | Search April 17, 2007Jarrett L. LaneIn a small school in a small town, Jarrett L. Lane, 22, was a large source of pride. “Anything he set his mind to — nothing was unobtainable to him,” says Robert Stump, principal at Narrows High School, in Narrows, Va. “You could not have asked for a better young man.” Mr. Lane balanced a full schedule of varsity football, basketball, tennis, and track, as well as playing in the band and being active in clubs and community organizations. By the end of his senior year, he was the top player on the tennis team and had been earned all-district honors for his other three sports. He graduated in 2003 as valedictorian of his class.  Courtesy of Lane Family “You picture it in your head, and you’re probably picturing this muscular guy, but that’s not the way Jarrett was,” says Brian Todd Lusk, his basketball coach and next-door neighbor. “Jarrett was just a skinny little kid. But he had the heart of a champion.” Around Narrows, most of the 2,200 people know each other, and everyone seemed to know Mr. Lane. But friends and teachers say he shied away from the spotlight and was usually quiet with people he had just met. Mr. Lusk says that he watched Mr. Lane grow up and that he would often play basketball with the coach’s much younger son. “Speaking as a father,” he says, “he was exactly what you hope your kids would grow up to be.” Mr. Lane also excelled academically and always fixated on going to Virginia Tech. Gary W. Hinson was his high-school biology teacher and wrote a recommendation for Mr. Lane’s Virginia Tech application. Mr. Hinson was also one of the coaches of the school’s academic-competition team. He says the team is often a little short on players, though it usually manages to field four people in the English, math, and science competitions. But eight years ago, the social-studies competition had just one player. “He was the whole team,” Mr. Hinson says, chuckling. “After the first round, then you can rotate in for the next round. A couple teams rotate, and Jarrett’s still sitting there by himself, you know? Just waiting for the next round.” Mr. Hinson says that Mr. Lane “got hammered” by older students in that first year of competition, but that he just kept coming back for more. Mr. Lane was within a few months of graduating from Virginia Tech in civil engineering and had recently been accepted to the engineering master’s-degree program at the University of Florida. Teachers say he was planning to get a Ph.D. eventually. Mr. Lane — one of his friends called him “Dubs,” for the double letters in “Jarrett” — was also a passionate member of his local church. In a Baptist church, a few people each week may walk up to the altar to reaffirm their commitment to God. A day before the shooting, Mr. Lusk says, Mr. Lane went to church and quietly walked to the front and prayed. —Erik Vance Posted on Tuesday April 17, 2007 | Permalink |Comments |
Jarrett was a beautiful person. I did not know that before the shooting he recommited himself to God. That is extremely comforting to me.
— Jessica Louderback Apr 23, 12:58 AM #