1 year after UA professor was killed on campus, friends and colleagues hold memorial
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Friends and colleagues of slain University of Arizona professor Thomas Meixner gathered in Tucson for memorial services on Thursday. The day marked one year since Meixner was shot and killed on campus.
Meixner led the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at UA. Professor Christopher Castro assumed the role of interim department head and described Meixner as an exceptional human being.
“He cheerfully greeted the staff when he came to the office in the morning in his characteristic loud voice," Castro said. "He took pride in being a part of the University of Arizona and wore loud and colorful UA shirts to prove the point.”
Castro also talked about the the acute PTSD he suffered after the shooting.
“I couldn't sleep through the night," he said. "I couldn't concentrate to get through a class. I played old videos of myself to the class of lectures I'd recorded during the pandemic. I had random bouts of crying over survivors' guilt. The mundane activities of daily life seemed overwhelming.”
Former UA grad student Murad Dervish was arrested in the shooting. He’s undergoing evaluation to see if he is competent to stand trial.
The school had expelled and banned him from campus and sent out a warning with his photo months before the shooting.
