and that's the toughest thing for me. >> reporter: colleagues say 27-year-old adam ward and 24-year-old alison parker were unfailingly positive, relentlessly hard working and never shied away from a story. >> adam, come out from in front of the camera. >> reporter: both parker and ward began as interns at the station eventually becoming a team as stack reporter and photographer for the morning show. >> i am a virginia girl. >> she had aspirations of being an anchor and have no doubt she would have accomplished that goal. >> reporter: the 24-year-old was a rising star appearing on cnn last november. >> thank you so much alison parker from wdbj there in roanoke. >> she had an explosive personality. she always smiled. she was full of ideas. >> parker had been dating chris hurst and just moved in with him. she was the most radiant woman i ever met he posted on social