Sophomore from Saugus called funny and flirtatious

SAUGUS -- Ross Alameddine seemed quiet and somewhat shy to those who just met him. But when the Saugus 20-year-old was among his friends who knew him as "Rossmo," he would flirt outrageously, breakdance, or perform comedy sketches from Monty Python.

Friends yesterday mourned the Virginia Tech sophomore, who was one of the 32 people killed Monday on the Blacksburg campus by a gunman who then took his own life.

"I will never stop missing him," fellow sophomore Leah Robinson said in an e-mail to the Globe.

"He was very funny, very smart," said Amy Mastrangelo , 19, a Boston University sophomore who went to elementary and high school with Alameddine. "He was a very unique person."

Alameddine's family huddled in Saugus yesterday morning, trying to glean more information from Virginia authorities investigating the motives of 23-year-old senior Seung-Hui Cho, who shot Alameddine, a 2005 graduate of Austin Preparatory School in Reading and the son of a nurse and a Stoneham doctor.

Alameddine's family declined to comment.

Two bouquets of flowers were left on the doorstep of the family's house.

Officials lowered American flags at town buildings to half staff.

At Austin Preparatory, one alumnus was trying to put together a scholarship in his name.

Neighbors described Alameddine as a computer whiz who liked to zoom down the street on his in-line skates.

Whenever anyone in the neighborhood had a computer problem, Alameddine would come over and help fix it.

"He would give you the shirt off his back," said Andrew Valeri , 16, who visited the Alameddine family yesterday.

At nearby Kane's Donuts, residents expressed sadness and surprise.

"What are the odds that somebody from Saugus would have been killed?" asked Donald Stead , 66, a retired oil truck driver.

Alameddine went to elementary school at St. Mary in Melrose, where Helen Blinstrub , the principal, recalled him as a quiet, polite boy who was interested in art.

"He was a super kid," she said. "He comes from a wonderful family. Our hearts go out to them."

High school friends recalled him as sharp, politically engaged, and so superior at French he was the teacher's favorite.

But he also had a biting sense of humor and a quirky way of flirting, recalled Lia Nicholl , a 2006 graduate of Austin, who sat at his lunch table and would marvel at his grand vocabulary.

"He gave me a picture of him for his senior year," she said, laughing. "He wrote in the back, 'Lunch has been memorable. But to answer your question, no I won't go out with you. See you around.' "

In college, he was known for his love of cheese and onion pizza, his repeated viewings of "Mystery Science Theater 3000 ," and his eagerness to cheer up friends having a difficult time.

"He had this talent of making everything better," Robinson said. "He said the trick was not to take anything too seriously, so spending time with him always put a smile on my face. I'm talking a smile so big it made my face hurt on occasion."

Friends yesterday tried to find out about funeral arrangements and many remained in disbelief that Alameddine was a victim of the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history.

"It's really scary. I just can't even imagine," said Jillian McGinnity , a 2005 graduate of Austin Prep. "It's just so sad because he was that kid in high school that you knew was going to be really successful."

Megan Tench of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Renee Dudley contributed to this report. McCabe reported from Saugus and Cramer from Boston.