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Binghamton Shooting Aftermath: There But For the Grace of God

Posted by JAZZ SHAW, Assistant Editor in At TMV.
Apr 4th, 2009 | View Comments

While some people were busy criticizing Governor Paterson’s comments about the shooting, (for the record, he actually said it was the greatest tragedy and senseless crime in the history of the city, not of the state, as Andrew Malcolm appropriately corrected in his column) more local news continues to filter in and some of it strikes close to home. It turns out that a relative of one of my colleagues is a teacher at the Civic Association and was scheduled to be teaching there on the day of the shooting, but was on vacation. Instead, 72 year old teacher Roberta King filled in for her and wound up losing her life in the tragedy.

A 72-year-old Binghamton woman who taught at the American Civic Association, her family confirmed.

According to fellow instructor Priscilla Pease, King was the substitute teacher in the class the gunman entered Friday.

King was filling in for Elizabeth Hayes, who had taken vacation. That class is typically about 27 students, but Pease believes there were fewer than 27 students in King’s classroom on Friday.

While nothing should diminish the tragedy of the victims who were in the building yesterday, one must wonder about the impact this will have on Mrs. Hayes, who would have been in Ms. King’s place on that fateful day had she not gone on vacation. Personally, I can’t even imagine what that would feel like.

The photograph below is of Bobbie King teaching her class at the Civic Association and comes from the Binghamton Press and Sun Bulletin.

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wvought

Video of the memorial service for the victims: http://essentialdissent.blogspot.com/2009/04/me...

kathyedits

I just saw this, Jazz. I had written a post about Andrew Malcolm's quote of Paterson. I put in an update correcting it.

archangel

dear Jazz, just an offering to your question for the readers. When I worked post-trauma at COlumbine High School and community for several years after the massacre, the teachers who were away for the lunch period off campus, the teachers who were on maternity leave and had substitute teachers, etc, on that black day... were beside themselves with grief and love, both, for those who were murdered and maimed (people forget 24 children maimed, some now in wheelchairs for life), for the teachers and children who had to run for their lives or who were trapped in janitor's closets or classrooms for hours.

Those who were away, were not really away. Their hearts and souls were one with all that occured, and all had to come to terms with not just what occured that day...

but the aftermath of additional insult and injury by media intrusion, grandstanding by various parties, profound lawsuits hailing down from all directions, 'tourists' of all kinds, including 'religious' who wanted to exploit the situation and make a name for themselves. We had to contend with Pastor Fred at the public memorial with his signs God Hates Columbine. It was a hideous and literally years' long assualt on souls who were already down for the count.

One of the best things the people affected in this latest horrible shootings, can do, is protect themselves from intrusive media, to stay to those they trust to come to terms, to not watch this matter on television or listen to radio, or read blogs about it all, to not listen to legislators grandstanding about it for their own reasons, to not attend the 'hearings' that are likely to be held by the State to try to find out what really happened, winding up in a guaranteed Roshomon. The people who were present and the families of the injured and of the dead have entered an inner circle that is sacred, and they are to be protected if they are to come to terms without further injury and re-injury and re-re-re injury.

dr.e

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