Messages of grief and love are pouring in from around the world to the website Remembering Jim, set up to pay tribute to the life of James Foley, the American photojournalist brutally executed by militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham in Syria earlier this month.
"This is how I want 2 remember my brave and dear friend #JamesFoley,fight evil with love. Join #rememberingjim" tweeted Peter Bouckaert, who created the website alongside photojournalist Daniel Van Moll.
The New Yorker's Jon Lee Anderson recalls the first time he met Foley: "In the basement press room of the Benghazi courthouse where the Libya revolution began in February 2011. I had noticed him, a good-looking, fair-haired man in his thirties, and his sidekick and fellow freelancer, Clare Morgana Gillis, ever since I had arrived."
Even those who never met Foley were touched by his life. "I did not know Jim, but I can’t get him and his family out of my thoughts ... His strength of character, bravery and courage are simply remarkable and I would like to do everything possible to pay tribute to such a fine man," writes Amy from Maryland.
Katey Klein Gara attended Marquette University with Foley and posted a photo of her two sons holding up signs that read "Remembering Jim."
Foley's family has set up the James W. Foley Legacy Fund, which will include the protection of journalists, providing educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth, and the support of aspiring and current journalists in their quest to promote freedom and truth.
The James Foley Scholarship, set up by his alma mater Marquette University, will provide financial assistance for a communications student who otherwise would be unable to attend Marquette.
Foley would have turned 41 in October.
