WYATT'S CONNECTION TO VT TRAGEDY
Mon, 2007-04-23 22:50
When
Virginia Tech graduate Kevin Futrell and his girlfriend, current VT student
Jennifer Marshall, made plans to attend the IHRA Spring Nationals with
Jennifer’s best friend Matt Gwaltney, they never imagined they would attend the
race without him.
Gwaltney, of Chesterfield, Virginia, was a student at Virginia Tech and one of the 32 victims who lost their lives in the massacre last week.
“This is our second time out to the races; we were here at Rockingham for last year’s race and had a real good time, so we wanted to come back,” Futrell said. “But with the events of last week, we’re a man short.”
When
Virginia Tech graduate Kevin Futrell and his girlfriend, current VT student
Jennifer Marshall, made plans to attend the IHRA Spring Nationals with
Jennifer’s best friend Matt Gwaltney, they never imagined they would attend the
race without him.
Gwaltney, of Chesterfield, Virginia, was a student at Virginia Tech and one of the 32 victims who lost their lives in the massacre last week.
“This is our second time out to the races; we were here at Rockingham for last year’s race and had a real good time, so we wanted to come back,” Futrell said. “But with the events of last week, we’re a man short.”
“I don’t really know how to put it into words. It’s a numb feeling,” said Futrell. “Matt was a drag racing fan, but he was a Funny Car fan more than anything.”
That’s what made Knoll Gas Nitro Funny Car driver Jack Wyatt’s tribute to everyone involved with the VT tragedy so special to Futrell. Wyatt is displaying a large Virginia Tech logo on the side of his car, with the words “In our thoughts” above the graphic. As an added way to remember Gwaltney, Wyatt allowed Futrell to write Gwaltney’s name on both sides of the huge rear wing of Wyatt’s Dodge Stratus.
Futrell said that Gwaltney’s favorite driver was a man who also recently lost his life, Eric Medlen.
“Eric was his favorite NHRA driver,” Futrell said. “He was just getting into the IHRA, and we took him to a few races and watched it on television together.”
Wyatt’s and everyone else’s tributes to the victims and their families have really touched Futrell. “32 victims lost their lives. The more we see things like this and the as the media brings it up, the less likely we are to forget about the victims of this tragedy.”
“We were all supposed to be out here today, and Jack brought his car out with the VT logo,” an emotional Futrell said. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m a grown man, and I just cried.”
“Matt was really looking forward to this, and he’s not here.”
Below is an excerpt from MSNBC describing Gwaltney:
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, 24, was on the brink of finishing his graduate degree and was planning to return to his hometown for a new job and to be near his parents.
He was a master’s student in civil and environmental engineering and was attending Virginia Tech on a fellowship, his father, Greg Gwaltney, said from his home in Chester, near Richmond.
“Matt came home Thursday night. He had an interview in Richmond Friday morning, and we got to have dinner with him,” said Linda Gwaltney, his stepmother. “He went back to school Friday after his interview.”
It was the last time they saw their only child.
Gwaltney had been his high school newspaper’s sports editor and was named “Best guy to take home to your parents,” his high school principal, Robert Stansberry, said.
At Virginia Tech, where he also earned his undergraduate degree, his favorite place was Cassell Coliseum, his parents said.
“He went to every women’s and men’s basketball game, and went to every football game,” Linda Gwaltney said. “If there was a football game, we knew he wasn’t coming home that weekend.”
Gwaltney, of Chesterfield, Virginia, was a student at Virginia Tech and one of the 32 victims who lost their lives in the massacre last week.
“This is our second time out to the races; we were here at Rockingham for last year’s race and had a real good time, so we wanted to come back,” Futrell said. “But with the events of last week, we’re a man short.”
When
Virginia Tech graduate Kevin Futrell and his girlfriend, current VT student
Jennifer Marshall, made plans to attend the IHRA Spring Nationals with
Jennifer’s best friend Matt Gwaltney, they never imagined they would attend the
race without him.Gwaltney, of Chesterfield, Virginia, was a student at Virginia Tech and one of the 32 victims who lost their lives in the massacre last week.
“This is our second time out to the races; we were here at Rockingham for last year’s race and had a real good time, so we wanted to come back,” Futrell said. “But with the events of last week, we’re a man short.”
“I don’t really know how to put it into words. It’s a numb feeling,” said Futrell. “Matt was a drag racing fan, but he was a Funny Car fan more than anything.”
That’s what made Knoll Gas Nitro Funny Car driver Jack Wyatt’s tribute to everyone involved with the VT tragedy so special to Futrell. Wyatt is displaying a large Virginia Tech logo on the side of his car, with the words “In our thoughts” above the graphic. As an added way to remember Gwaltney, Wyatt allowed Futrell to write Gwaltney’s name on both sides of the huge rear wing of Wyatt’s Dodge Stratus.
Futrell said that Gwaltney’s favorite driver was a man who also recently lost his life, Eric Medlen.
“Eric was his favorite NHRA driver,” Futrell said. “He was just getting into the IHRA, and we took him to a few races and watched it on television together.”
Wyatt’s and everyone else’s tributes to the victims and their families have really touched Futrell. “32 victims lost their lives. The more we see things like this and the as the media brings it up, the less likely we are to forget about the victims of this tragedy.”
“We were all supposed to be out here today, and Jack brought his car out with the VT logo,” an emotional Futrell said. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m a grown man, and I just cried.”
“Matt was really looking forward to this, and he’s not here.”
Below is an excerpt from MSNBC describing Gwaltney:
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, 24, was on the brink of finishing his graduate degree and was planning to return to his hometown for a new job and to be near his parents.
He was a master’s student in civil and environmental engineering and was attending Virginia Tech on a fellowship, his father, Greg Gwaltney, said from his home in Chester, near Richmond.
“Matt came home Thursday night. He had an interview in Richmond Friday morning, and we got to have dinner with him,” said Linda Gwaltney, his stepmother. “He went back to school Friday after his interview.”
It was the last time they saw their only child.
Gwaltney had been his high school newspaper’s sports editor and was named “Best guy to take home to your parents,” his high school principal, Robert Stansberry, said.
At Virginia Tech, where he also earned his undergraduate degree, his favorite place was Cassell Coliseum, his parents said.
“He went to every women’s and men’s basketball game, and went to every football game,” Linda Gwaltney said. “If there was a football game, we knew he wasn’t coming home that weekend.”
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