Joe Librescu, son of murdered Virginia Tech engineering professor Liviu Librescu, expressed overwhelming pride in his father's life, and in his death, on Tuesday.

"He saw himself as the ambassador of Israel to that part of the world, to an American university that had few Israelis but many representatives from the Arab world," Librescu said.

"We feel pride despite the tragedy and the sadness," Librescu said. "The story of his actions [during the shooting] is unbelievable. There's a whirlpool of emotions. But pride stands above everything else, pride that there will always be people, students and others, who grew up in his teaching."

In Romania, the academic community mourned Librescu's death.

"It is a great loss," said Ecaterina Andronescu, rector of the Polytechnic University in Bucharest, where Librescu graduated in 1953. "We have immense respect for the way he reacted and defended his students with his life."

At the Polytechnic, where Librescu received an honorary degree in 2000, his picture was placed on a table, a candle was lit and people placed flowers nearby.

Prof. Nicolae Serban Tomescu described Librescu as "strong and dignified."

"He had a huge affection for his students and he sacrificed his life for them," he said.

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