Ryan Clark

Ryan Clark was known as Stack here on the rolling campus of Virginia Tech, an amiable senior memorable for his ready smile and thoughtful ways. He was also among the first victims of the deadliest school rampage in the nation's history.

A student resident adviser at West Ambler Johnston Hall, Mr. Clark was apparently rushing over to investigate what was going on when he came upon the gunman, according to a student who lives on the fourth floor, where the first shootings took place.

In the end, as the people here struggled to come to grip with the tragedy, it fell to Vernon W. Collins, the coroner in Mr. Clark's hometown in Columbia County, Ga., to deliver the news of his death to his mother

"She was in shock," Mr. Collins said. "It started out in disbelief. She was praying what I was telling her was wrong, and I felt the same way. I wished I didn't have to tell her that."

"It was horrible, you know, to walk up to somebody you don't know and tell them they've lost a loved one," he added. "It's the hardest part of my job."

Tall and thin, Mr. Clark, a resident of Augusta, Ga., was well-liked and a member of the university's marching band, the Marching Virginians, students in the dorm said.

The band's Web site has an image of him participating in a food drive and says that he enjoyed, among other things, "making t-shirts with his partner in crime, Kim Daniloski, and haggling with street vendors."

He also studied biology and English and had hoped to pursue a doctorate in psychology, with a focus on cognitive neuroscience.

Courtney Dalton, who met Mr. Clark two years ago when the two worked together at a campus restaurant, described him as helpful and a good listener. "When I was upset about something, he would come over and ask, 'Are you O.K.?'" she said. "If you ever needed to talk about your problems, he'd listen."

Ms. Dalton said that he stopped working at the restaurant shortly after they met but that he continued to stop by and visit. "I used to talk to him every day," she said. "He used to come in, get a drink, a pizza or a rotini and cheese."

Ms. Dalton said she was stunned by the news of his death and wondered how such a tragedy could befall a person as kind as Mr. Clark. "It's horrible, it's hitting us all pretty hard," she said.