They were on their way to or from meetings or on their way home to take some time off.
Families, employers and officials have identified five of the at least seven people who died in Tuesday night’s deadly Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia. From what is known, they were an accomplished group.
Derrick Griffith, acting dean of student affairs at Medgar Evers College in New York City, died when the train crashed as it headed from Washington toward New York, the school’s president confirmed in a television interview. Griffith was from Brooklyn, according to CNN.
“He was a scholar, a gentleman,” college president Rudy Crew told CNN.
The school, which is part of the City University of New York, learned of Griffith’s death after receiving a call from the coroner’s office and then contacted Griffith’s family to confirm, Crew said.
Griffith is survived by his son and his mother, Crew said.
“They are distraught,” he said. “They are absolutely in distress mode.”
Griffith joined the CUNY system in 2011 after serving as executive director of Groundwork, a community organization that helps public housing residents get to college, according to the CUNY website.
Jim Gaines, 48, was video software architect with the Associated Press, the news organization said. Gaines was returning home to Plainsboro, N.J., from meetings in Washington, according to the news organization. His wife, Jacqueline, confirmed his death.
Along with his wife, Gaines leaves behind a son, Oliver, 16, and a daughter, Anushka, 11.
Gaines played a key role in almost all of the AP’s video initiatives, including a live video service that served hundreds of clients around the world.
In May 2012, he won the news organization’s “Geek of the Month” award for his devotion to technological innovation, the AP said.
Source: USA Today | Melanie Eversley
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