As the nation continues to grapple with the Jan. 8 shootings in Tucson, Ariz., President Barack Obama led a memorial service in Tucson Jan. 12. And the Cornell community reflected on the tragedy of six dead and 14 wounded, including Cornellians Gabrielle Giffords, M.R.P. '97, and Susan Hileman '73.

"When the unthinkable happens, as President Obama has noted, it can bring out the best in people during the worst of times," said Tommy Bruce, vice president for university communications. "We all have a stake in healing our country, and the Cornell community is pulling for a speedy recovery of all those wounded, particularly our two stricken alumnae."

Giffords, a three-term Democratic congresswoman representing Arizona's eighth district, suffered a gunshot wound to her head. One of her doctors said her chances of survival are "101 percent," but added her recovery may take years. She remains in critical condition at the University Medical Center in Tucson.

Hileman, a retired social worker who had taken her 9-year-old neighbor, Christina Taylor Green, to see Giffords in a supermarket parking lot, was shot three times and is expected to fully recover. Green was shot to death.

Hileman is an active alumna who is chair and director of the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network for the Cornell Club of Southern Arizona. Alan Mathios, dean of the College of Human Ecology, said, "Having recently visited with Suzi -- a proud Cornellian and dedicated volunteer to the college and university -- her tremendous spirit and great resolve will no doubt aid in her recovery from this horrific tragedy."

Giffords earned her master's degree in regional planning and serves on the President's Council of Cornell Women. Kent Kleinman, dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, said: "Gabby represents the very best of public service, and she is a role model to so many students who seek a future serving their communities."

In a message to the community, Cornell President David Skorton said, "There is no place in our country for such violence, and we deplore and condemn its use as a substitute for reasoned public discourse."