Chancellor Randy Woodson, alumni, and friends and family of Hondros gathered at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to honor N.C. State alum Chris Hondros, who was killed on assignment for Getty Images as a war photojournalist in Libya on April 20, 2011.

Hondros and his colleague Tim Hetherington, the director of the Oscar-nominated film Restrepo, were killed in Misurata, Libya during an attack by Moammar Gadhafi’s forces against rebels in the city during the Arab Spring uprising. Hondros died several hours after suffering a head wound from a mortar attack.

An award-winning photojournalist, Hondros covered many of the world’s major conflicts after graduating from the University in 1993. He covered wars and the struggles of daily life in Kosovo and Macedonia/Albania, Angola, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Kashmir, the West Bank, Iraq, Cuba, Pakistan, Nigeria, Liberia and ultimately Libya for more than a decade, his work featured on the covers of acclaimed publications such as The New York Times and the Washington Post.

Because of his work in Liberia, Hondros was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography in 2004, and in 2005 he won the Robert Capa Gold Medal, which is awarded to the “best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise,” according to the Overseas Press Club of America. He was nominated posthumously for a Pulitzer Prize again in 2012 for his coverage of the Arab Spring.

Greg Campbell, a friend and colleague of Hondros, spoke Monday about Hondros’ effect on the profession of war photojournalism and about the lives Hondros touched around the world.

Campbell said it is a bittersweet memory that the first assignment he and Hondros worked on together was for the Technician in Washington, D.C., covering President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. Although the two did not have press credentials, they managed to bluff their way through the press registration area and obtained two all-access passes.

“It’s meaningful to stand here, reflecting on my time with Chris, back here where it all started,” Campbell said. “[Hondros] had an incredible amount of innate ability… He also had an unbelievable dedication to the story… He had this amazing amount of confidence.”

Campbell said Hondros’ talent was not simply a fluke, and at the end of the day, he worked harder than anyone else to do the things he wanted to do.

“It was a part of who he was,” Campbell said.  “It was a part of his character.Chris developed a personal style. Chris had this sort of boundless optimism and need to gain knowledge–he was very curious. He had that ability to bring out the common human thread that runs through us, and he had the ability to bring that out.”

Woodson said he first heard of Hondros during his first week as chancellor while visiting the Gregg Museum, which was displaying some of Hondros’ photographs.

Woodson also presented a gift to Inge Hondros, Hondros’ mother, who attended the reception as well. Woodson said Inge Hondros is creating a memorial scholarship in her son’s name to help students at N.C. State pursue study abroad programs.

Six of Hondros’ photographs were available for reception attendees to view, courtesy of the Gregg Museum. Students, faculty, staff and alumni who wish to view some of Hondros’ photographs may visit the Park Alumni Center, which houses 14 of his works.

Campbell is currently directing a documentary about Hondros’ life and work, titled “Hondros: A Life in Frames.” More information about Hondros and Campbell’s documentary can be found at chrishondrosfilm.com.

Laura Wilkinson is a former editor-in-chief of the Technician and is currently a graduate student at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.