by Whitney Coleman
October 03, 2005
He was “Joe” to those who knew him well. To the OU community, however, Joel Hinrichs III was the mechanical engineering junior responsible for Saturday’s suicidal blast.
In the aftermath of Hinrichs’ suicide, his family is left to reconcile the person they knew with someone who would take such drastic measures. As they searched through dozens of boxes of technological gear at their home in Colorado Springs, Colo., Hinrichs’ family struggled with the looming question of “Why?”.
Hinrichs’ father, Joel Hinrichs Jr., described his son, the youngest of five children, as a “very private individual.”
He said his son was lonely and had gone through several bouts of depression, one of which forced him to take a year off of school.
“He was going to counseling at Goddard. They did their best to help him,” Hinrichs’ father said.
Hinrichs’ passion for technology surfaced at a young age, a fascination he maintained throughout his life.
“At seven years old, he asked me how to turn ore into metal. We had a 45-minute conversation about it,” Hinrichs’ father said.
Technological concepts came easily to Hinrichs. The skills necessary for making friendships, however, did not.
“He was bright, but for whatever reason the process of making friends just didn’t come to him easily,” Hinrichs’ father said.
He said his son’s attempts at friendships failed during school, to the point that he stopped trying.
Hinrichs’ time was consumed with technological tinkering.
Hinrichs’ family knew he collected electronics, but did not anticipate he would develop a ��bomb to take his life. They, like OU’s student body, are forced to speculate as to Hinrichs’ motives.
“I believe he went for a large open space where he wouldn’t harm anyone but himself. He was aware of the fact that he was going to make an indelible impression on 85,000 football fans,” Hinrichs’ father said.
Hinrichs suggests his son wanted the community to notice his passing.
“He might have said, ‘That’s you, this is me, good-bye.’ But I’m just speculating,” Hinrichs said, “He’s not here to say if I’m right or not.”
Hinrichs’ father attributes his son’s death to a lack of optimism.
“My message to parents everywhere is to check their child’s optimism, because that is what led to this,” Hinrichs’ father said, “Joe’s optimism ran dry, and it caused him to end his life.”
His main regret is that his son did not approach him with his problems.
“When you’re feeling that lonely, just go to your parents. They care. They have the most invested in your life,” Hinrichs’ father said.
Very few people knew Hinrichs on a personal basis.
Hinrichs’ neighbors at Parkview Apartments confirmed his quiet nature.
“He’s very calm and quiet. Kind of, I can’t say lonely, but he prefers to stay alone. He’s not the kind of social person,” said Sam Dandashly, political science sophomore, who lived near Hinrichs’ apartment.
Dandashly said he was shocked to find out that Hinrichs was the person behind the bombing. Another neighbor, Jumao Wang, shared that sentiment.
“We saw him several times, but we never talked to him,” Wang said.
Wang said they were evacuated on Sunday at 5 a.m. while officials confirmed the building’s safety and returned to their apartments on Monday at 12 p.m.
Hinrichs’ roommate, whom Hinrichs’ father said he barely spoke with, also moved back into the apartment at this time.
Andrew House, industrial engineering junior, said he knew Hinrichs as a classmate.
“He seemed like he was a nice kid. He didn’t seem troubled at all. Some people might have thought he was weird, because he knew a lot about ammunition and stuff like that,” House said.
Hinrichs, a National Merit Scholar, was also a member of Triangle fraternity, an organization of engineers, architects, and scientists. In a statement on their Web site, Triangle fraternity expressed their condolences about the incident.
“This is a terrible tragedy, and we are extremely thankful that no one else was hurt in the explosion. We have no idea what happened and are as stunned as anyone else on campus,” Triangle fraternity said in the statement.
Paul Lawson, from Triangle fraternity’s national headquarters, said they were unaware that Hinrichs liked to keep to himself, as he did not live in the house.
“He had not made contact with anyone from Triangle within the last three to four days,” Lawson said.
Triangle fraternity connected Hinrichs to students in similar fields, but Hinrichs’ father said he still struggled with the hardships of being an engineering major.
“He was very disillusioned with his major, and I suggested that he change it,” Hinrichs said, “but he said ‘Dad, I’m in the very best one right now, and I still hate it.’”
Hinrichs’ interest in technology conflicted with his hatred for math, making engineering a difficult field.
Hinrichs’ father said his son never expressed any specific dreams or goals.
“He was very lonely,” he said. “I should have known, but I just didn’t see this coming.”
The impact of Hinrichs’ death extends far beyond his family and into the entire OU and Norman community. The 85,000 people in attendance at Saturday’s game felt the jarring effects of Hinrichs’ suicide as well.
“I’m sure he didn’t intend for his passing to alter the flow of life everywhere,” Hinrichs’s father said, “but it certainly did.”
http://www.oudaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/10/03/4341fe8b294e8
The poor kid, how sad to waste your life.
Thank you for posting the article.