Friends were struggling to comprehend the violent death of an instructor who was known for his gentle manner and generosity toward students, rode his bike to campus and worked alongside his wife in Virginia Tech's foreign languages department.
"I don't think he was the type of person who had an enemy," said Troy Paddock, a close friend whose wife also teaches in the German program. "He was a very friendly person. He did weekly gatherings for students out of class to practice German where they could talk about anything. He was a nice and helpful person."
On the Web sites where he posted samples of the art he created with his digital camera, Bishop, 35, described himself as "mild-mannered" and "bespectacled." He was an avid hiker and movie fan, a Georgia native who paid close attention to the wins and losses of the Atlanta Braves.
Bishop wrote online that after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in German at the University of Georgia, he spent four years in Germany "where he spent most of his time learning the language, teaching English, drinking large quantities of wheat beer, and wooing a certain Fraulein." Colleagues said the fraulein was Stefanie Hofer, who became his wife.
Friends were struggling to comprehend the violent death of an instructor who was known for his gentle manner and generosity toward students, rode his bike to campus and worked alongside his wife in Virginia Tech's foreign languages department.
"I don't think he was the type of person who had an enemy," said Troy Paddock, a close friend whose wife also teaches in the German program. "He was a very friendly person. He did weekly gatherings for students out of class to practice German where they could talk about anything. He was a nice and helpful person."
On the Web sites where he posted samples of the art he created with his digital camera, Bishop, 35, described himself as "mild-mannered" and "bespectacled." He was an avid hiker and movie fan, a Georgia native who paid close attention to the wins and losses of the Atlanta Braves.
Bishop wrote online that after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in German at the University of Georgia, he spent four years in Germany "where he spent most of his time learning the language, teaching English, drinking large quantities of wheat beer, and wooing a certain Fraulein." Colleagues said the fraulein was Stefanie Hofer, who became his wife.