TL20041118_001 "Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Thursday, 11/18/04 Speech, debate talents on display 5 Security expert speaks on terror 5 Red Robin burgers come to Towson SpongeBob makes big screen debut Departments Opinion News 5 PawPrints 9 Police Blotter. 10 Arts 17 Now Showing. 18 Scheer Cinema 18 Sports 28 In this corner. 28 Punt, Pass, & Pick 26 Classifieds 20 Towson Marine killed in Iraq Nicholas Ziolkowski, 22, grew up around campus; planned to study history at TU Brian Stelter The Towerlight Nicholas Ziolkowski planned to enroll at Towson University in the fall of 2005. """"We had sent him all the application materials,"""" his mother Tracy Miller recalled. """"He had friends who were going to come with him, because he had that kind of magnetic personality."""" But everything changed on Sunday when the 22-year-old Towson native, a Marine corporal, was killed in Fallujah, Iraq. """"Nick was truly such a special person,"""" Miller, a TU employee, recalled. """"Everybody who ever met him just adored him."""" Miller is Towson's director of retention and the National Student Exchange, and serves as a part- time faculty member for the English department. She was relaxing at home Sunday night when two Marine Sergeants pulled up outside. """"I was sitting in the living room when the doorbell rang,"""" she said. """"This has been my nightmare...but I never thought it would really happen."""" Ziolkowski was a sniper assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. The Pentagon has not released details about how he was killed. """"I was sitting in the living room when the doorbell rang. This has been my nightmare ...but I never thought it would really happen."""" Tracy Miller mother He arrived in Iraq in June, after six months aboard the USS Iwo Jima. On Friday, Nov. 5, Miller spoke with her son for the last time. """"He called me and said, 'I'm in Fallujah. I'm OK. Don't worry,'"""" Miller said. His deployment was scheduled to conclude in January, and his tour of duty with the Marines was expected to end in June. Ziolkowski planned to return to Maryland, enroll at Towson, and eventually become a history teacher. Ziolkowski attended the Boys' Latin School in Baltimore, and graduated in 2001. Flags at the school flew at half-mast on Tuesday in his honor. On Tuesday morning the school established a scholarship fund in Ziolkowski's name; 24 hours later, more than $200,000 had been donated. Towson University informed faculty and staff of Ziolkowski's death in an e-mail Tuesday. A candlelight vigil will be held Monday at 5 p.m. on Newell Field. Cheryl Brown, director for TU's first year writing program, said the vigil will help express the community's support for Ziolkowski's family. """"There's so many of us who are grieving and who want to express our sympathy,"""" she said. Ziolkowski grew up around Towson's campus. Photography major Ben Leuthold remembers attending elementary school with Ziolkowski at Lida Lee Tall, when the building served as a experimental school. """"He was a very funny guy,"""" Leuthold said. """"He liked being the center of attention, but not in a bad way. The world was his stage."""" See MEMORIES, page 10 'Real World1 cast members entertain campus crowd Derreck Windsor/The Towerlight Jacquese Smith (left) and Cameron Eubanks, members of """"The Real World San Diego"""" cast, spoke to Towson students Tuesday. See story, Page 17. Today High 62 Low 52 Friday High 66 Low 51 Saturday High 58 Low 50 Sunday High 66 Low 49 Monday High 61 Low 38"
