Evan Gershkovich’ family at Bowdoin College celebrates return [Video]

“We’re feeling a collective sense of release and joy that he’s been released,” Henry Laurence, a professor of Government and Legal Studies who knew Gershkovich, said Thursday. “We’re like a family here.”

Laurence remembers Gershkovich through the future Wall Street Journal reporter’s work at the college paper, The Bowdoin Orient. Though Laurence never taught Evan directly, he said he’s a person he wished he’d had in class.

“He was a well-respected figure,” Laurence said. “He was very friendly, he was outgoing, he was smart.”

Brock Clarke, a professor of English and creative writing, was fortunate enough to count Gershkovich among his students. Speaking with NEWS CENTER Maine prior to the reporter’s release from prison, Brock remembered his former student as deeply intelligent but also patient and kind.

“[He was] always …