I am Paul's sister in South Carolina. I am looking forward to meeting all these wonderful friends, colleagues, and students who have posted incredible comments about my brother. Your comments have made me understand better why Paul loved his work in Califoria so much. They have also been a source or great joy to see how Paul has impacted so many lives during his short journey on this earth. My greatest comfort is that we will see Paul and my mom and dad again . . . they just got a head start in heaven!! I know that if we could ask Paul what should come from his death, he would say that he wants his students to all know Jesus Christ as their personal saviour . . . he wants to be reunited with you in heaven. Thanks to everyone who has taken Karen and Devin under your care. We count on you since we are so far away. Please keep all of us in your prayers as we travel to the funeral and to be with Karen and Devin.

Gail Long Nicholas (sister of Paul)

My prayers for the Villalobos family. Seek comfort in Jehovah. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4.

My three children were blessed to have been taught by Mr. Long at Grace Brethren. There is no doubt that he made a lifelong impact on each - not only academically, but, more importantly, spiritually, as well. His abundant enthusiasm for teaching, his students, and the Lord were evident. Back to school night was always an adventure - he even made me want to return to school! As a guidance counselor, he was immensely helpful in navigating the college entrance waters. He always took time to thoroughly answer my questions and provided me with excellent advice. The Long family happened to attend a mutual friend's party a month ago and we were able to catch up. He remembered everything about my kids and was clearly excited about Devin's college opportunities. I feel fortunate that I was able to see him that last time. My prayers are with his family during this difficult time. God bless you, Mr. Long. Your rewards are eternal. Until we meet again...

Girlfriend,
This is your friend "Cheungy." I can't even write this with dry eyes. You were my friend for 20 years and a witness to a very important stage of my life. I just know you are sharing these stories with friends in Heaven right now and having a great laugh at my expense. Enjoy now your very deserved respite. I remember your smile, your impish laugh, our philosophical chats, and most recently, our brunch with the gang. You gave so much to people, I think, because there was so much to you as a person. You were complex, beautiful, soulful, and full of life. I think you know how much I will miss you. I love you.

Atul was a modern day Renaissance man. The kid was, as some would say, "the classroom starter." On nights (mornings) before tests, even if he were reading the material for the first time, Atul exuded a quiet, humble, contagious confidence that reflected both his intellectual prowess but I think more importantly his healthy perspective on life. He was funny. As lab partners, he LW and I used to synthesize to Tupac - unconventional to say the least. I think we wierded out other kids as we rapped lyrics of "I Ain't Mad at Cha" in tandem while trying to follow the difficult lab procedures. We once formulated a plan to break into the lab at night and make our own protein powder. No wonder - Atul had become a disciplined, jacked athlete throughout his college career. He had heart. The kind of heart that is rare in a person: strong yet gentle and steadfast. He knew how to do well, and do well with grace. In social circles Atul was the kid who, when he showed up at a party, everybody just smiled. Everybody that knew him loved him. The world truly lost a good one that day. We all owe it to Atul, but also to ourselves, to remember him and strive to achieve as he would, to treat people as he would. I love you Atul, I'll miss you forever buddy. We'll never forget you friend.

Beverly, you will truly be missed. Your smile, your kind words and your spirit are forever ingrained in my heart. I hear your contageous laughter in my head and I see your smiling face before me. You are the epitome of a loving, kind, gentle and caring person and I will aspire to emulate these qualities throughout my life. I love you and I will think of you always.

[cont]
In the weeks and months that passed, I (quite fortunately) didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked with Atul but would catch up with him whenever we'd run into each other on campus or at the gym. Not only was Atul managing to 'get through' the semester, he was excelling in his academics and had even managed to get a research position-no mean feat, especially for someone who had been at McGill for only a few months. It was good to see that he was settling in well and accomplishing the goals he had set for himself.

The last time I saw Atul was right before my graduation ceremony in May. I still remember noticing that the friends he made here still pronounced his name as A-TOOL instead of Atul (the U & L being pronounced similar to the U & L in the word 'full'.) I asked him why he hadn't corrected anybody in the time he had been here; 'Ah, it's okay son. I don't really mind. Whatever is easy for everyone here,' he said to me. It was hard not to like the guy. That was the kind of guy he was; so accommodating, not worrying about petty things. It speaks volumes about the man's character that his roommates had gotten closer to him in 4 months than they had ever been to each other in the 4 years they had lived together.

It's so unfair for this to have happened to him. There are tons of other people on this planet who do not deserve to be here and it's an unforgivable tragedy that someone so gifted (I hear he was interviewing for those grad school spots he was working towards at MIT and Harvard.) as Atul is not with us today.

My deepest condolences go out to the family. You'll always be in my prayers. I'm a poorer man for not having spent more time with you when you were in Montreal and the world is a poorer place now that you're gone. Rest in peace my friend. God Bless.

Omar Masood

B. Engineering, Chemical Engineering
McGill University, 2008

I met Atul when he first came to Mcgill as an exchange student earlier this year. Our close friends were desperately on the lookout for a fourth person to take up one of the empty rooms in their apartment and were dreading having to fork out the considerable extra money for a room that they were not going to use.

In came Atul, almost like a god-send, to save these hapless chaps from the turmoil of lighter wallets and ailing bank accounts.

On his first night in, the boys and the rest of us decided to go out and show this kid from the West coast the famous Montreal night-life. It wasn't hard to see that Atul was extremely intelligent. I still remember our first conversation; Atul spoke in calm and reserved tones-it was quite evident that he put a lot of thought into what he said and it all was completely genuine.

It was what he said to me later that night, however, that will remain as my ever-lasting memory of the guy and made me admire him. In my experience, when you're in a new place and with new people, you tend to do one of two things; One, you close up in a shell and don't really express yourself for the fear that you'll reveal too much or Two; you put yourself out there and get people to know you and judge for themselves whether or not they would like to be friends with you.

I'm glad Atul went with the second option. 'I'm here on a scholarship. Hopefully I'll be able to work hard enough to ace my MCATs and get a free ride for grad school. It's not going to be easy: all the places I want to go to are really tough to get into. I'm kinda worried though-you guys seem like you really like to party hard, it doesn't look like I'm gonna be able to make it through to the end of this semester,' he revealed to me that night. I still don't know why he opened up to me; maybe he felt he could because we were of the same cultural background or maybe he thought I was a good listener. At this point, it's really irrelevant because, in that moment, I had come to admire the man. (cont)

Omar Masood

B. Engineering, Chemical Engineering
McGill University, 2008

Chris you are so missed! Your smile, you sense of humor, your laughter, your love for life! We are all better people for having you in our lives. You truly placed an impression on all our hearts. Thank you for making Sharon so happy. You were her best friend and soul mate. Watch over her and give her the strength from above to continue to move forward during this most difficult time.

Until we meet again at the gates of heaven.
We love you and miss you!

Your friends,
Juan Carlos, Pilar, Arianna, Sophia, Olivia and Isabella Velasquez

As many people before me have remarked, people like Atul are rare. Not only was he incredibly brilliant, the kind of genius that you only meet a few times in your life, but he was also, sociable, funny, and easy going. I participated in Mock Trial and Speech and Debate with Atul in high school and remember realizing that what took other people days and weeks to accomplish took Atul only hours. Yet despite his many talents, Atul was always friendly and smiling. I did not see him much after he graduated two years before I did, just during vacations and on weekends when we were both at the gym. Yet even after his graduation, teachers continued to speak about him with admiration. He truly touched the lives of everyone around him and he will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his parents, Aseem, and the rest of his family and friends. The world lost someone with tremendous potential and great promise.