In Memoriam

Amb. Jonathan Moore | Jim Shyne | Boryana Damyanova | David Cartagena | David Richard Rawson

In loving memory of AMB. JONATHAN MOORE (1932–2017)

Please join the Institute in remembering and mourning our longtime Board Member Amb. Jonathan Moore. Ambassador Moore worked in government, politics, academia and the United Nations for more than 40 years. He served as U.S. Coordinator for Refugees and Ambassador-at-Large and as Director of the Refugee Programs Bureau in the U.S. Department of State, and as a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Previously, he was Director of the Institute of Politics and Lecturer in Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, for twelve years. Amb. Moore was on the Institute’s External Advisory Board since its inception and is a recipient of the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award. In accepting the award, he reflected on the formative experiences in his career in public service, as well as lessons learned. Excerpts of that talk -- "Infusing a Moral Imagination in U.S. Policies" -- were printed in Discourse in Spring 2011.

From that talk: "The cumulative impact of these is foreboding, but the biggest [gap] of all is the “rich/poor” gap — the earth’s fundamental moral inequity and dysfunction, which is widening and affects everything else. There are a number of huge, converging forces in our globalizing world, which radically threaten our interests and challenge our ability to survive. They include climate change, nuclear proliferation, the linkages of economies globally, ocean-crossing diseases, expanding ethnic and religious conflict, and international terrorism. They ignore geographical and political boundaries, are gaining momentum simultaneously, and although still subject to our influence, they are beyond our control. In addition to its own horrific properties, the rich-poor gap infects and exacerbates every one of these forces.

"I think new values as well as new strategies are needed to meet these forces and to close the gaps. American foreign policy should be radically reconstructed by integrating a true grasp of reality and complexity with a perpetual infusion of moral imagination. One model for attempting this would be a priority commitment in every dispute, for every challenge to achieve the maximum benefit for the highest number of parties. This would encompass strategies to close the rich-poor gap and form the core framework of our efforts internationally to achieve peace and security. We would define our own interests within the multiplicity of human need, rather than pitting them against others and forgetting about the rest. We would have to compromise in ways we haven’t thought of in order to achieve something closer to the common good, while protecting enough of our national needs to assure our own continuing progress. This path would be extremely difficult, the perseverance and balancing of factors would be prodigious, the time needed unending. But it would recognize that our own long-term security depends upon the security of others, and that we cannot survive in a world of apartheid. And it would embody moral authority and generate moral energy, valuable assets for transcending the challenges ahead."

He was a kind and very decent man whose insight, intelligence and willingness to ask the hard questions will be deeply missed.

In loving memory of JAMES A. SHYNE, Jr (1972-2017)

Jim Shyne, who joined the Institute for Global Leadership as a Teaching Assistant for the EPIIC 2007-08 year on Global Poverty and Inequality, passed away on February 3, 2017.

Jim was a PhD student at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy when we met him, concentrating on international economic development and working on his dissertation on violence and pacification policies in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Jim had seventeen years of professional and academic experience including nine years in residence in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. He began his career as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching EFL and volunteering for the Liga Guineense dos Direitos Humanos, a human rights and civic education NGO in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa of which he was a lifelong, honorific member. Since then he had designed and led dozens of field research projects ranging from large surveys to rapid rural appraisals to value chain assessments in Angola, Benin, Brazil, Guinea, Haiti, Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique and the Horn of Africa (Somaliland). Jim served for two years as a visiting researcher at ISER, a leading human rights NGO in Rio, and was also an affiliate of the Laborotório da Análise de Violência (LAV) at Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ). He served as Chief of Party to USAID-funded Democracy & Governance and Land Tenure Reform projects in Angola and Guinea, respectively. His post-doctoral research plans included a USAID-funded study of trans-national organized crime (TOC) between Latin America and West Africa; the local impact of cocaine transshipments through Guinea-Bissau; and a comparative study of recent efforts by USAID, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, and African governments to prevent land- and resource-based conflict and the financing of TOC in Liberia, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR). Jim earned his A.B. in history from Cornell University, his M.A.L.D. in development economics from The Fletcher School at Tufts, and conducted his dissertation fieldwork as a J. William Fulbright Fellow in Brazil. Most recently, Jim was He was married to Anna Carolina Berto Shyne of Rio de Janeiro.

As a member of the IGL community, Jim was always available to past and current students as a resource and mentor. As an EPIIC TA, he was highly regarded by the IGL staff and the students for his intellect, warmth and humor.

 

Below is a sample of what the EPIIC students said in their evaluations in 2007-08:

 

From Sherman Teichman, Founding Director Emeritus:

Jim was a critical and compassionate member of our community. I remember Jim’s expansive smile, his honed intellect, his infectious humor and the warmth and dedication with which he helped us create a fantastic EPIIC year.

I asked him to give the very first formal lecture to our EPIIC "Poverty and Inequality" class, on poverty and violence. It was a theme and intrinsic relation that he was deeply concerned about. I remember our long conversation about choosing the class' readings, that included Paul Collier's The Bottom Billion and Paul Farmer's, Pathologies of Power. He did exactly what I hoped he would do - set a very high bar for our students, a challenge they avidly responded to.

Jim mentored our students fastidiously. Together with his close Fletcher friend, his fellow TA Matt MacGregor, he gave other formal lectures on econometrics and development concepts.

He volunteered and held extra tutorial sessions on what he joked would be a "remedial" review of quantitative concepts for many of our social science students. He continued over the years to mentor students going to research in places he had worked and studied, especially the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

His heart was as large as his physique. He could have been an NFL linebacker, but he was as gentle as one could be.

In his professional efforts, he worked to redress inequality, and to contain crime and corruption, and was certainly was a paragon in this regard. He is greatly missed.

 

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Jim Shyne was perhaps the coolest guy whom I’ve ever met. He was the perfect man to entertain us with some awesome stories, ranging the planet from South America to Africa. I think everyone in the Colloquium really appreciated just how passionate he was for the issues he was teaching, and how he just bubbled over when talking about this. He was an extremely funny person, and had a very dry wit which made all of the EPIICers burst out laughing. He was a great guy to go to in order to be inspired, as he was always gushing with enthusiasm for his given topic, and also, he truly was a brilliant person, someone who could understand almost any topic given to him…I felt like I was truly pushed while he was here, and because I had to stretch myself to understand some of his economics, I felt extremely grateful.

 

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Jim was a hoot and a great mentor throughout the program. Even though he was slightly older than the class, he remained extremely relatable and knew what we as students needed at any given time.

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I felt very affectionately towards Jim. He was EPIIC’s goofy big brother.

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It’s impossible not to love Jim Shyne, if not for his dedication to the class or his funny stories, for his extremely caring persona and personal warmth.

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Jim was a wonderful TA and really got to know all of the students. He was very helpful meeting with me to talk over our final essay and also incredibly supportive and helpful whenever I had a question for him or needed help with something. Jim was very friendly, open, helpful and insightful.

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Jim really cared about the students in the class. His enthusiasm was infectious.

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Jim clearly put a lot of time into preparing his presentations for us. He wanted to help us out however he could. I appreciated his investment in the class and us as people.

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GREAT TA. I loved talking to him about econ and all sorts of things, and I know he really enjoyed TA’ing the class too, which made our interactions always very pleasant. He really cared about his students.

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Jim was a great TA for EPIIC and his test prep sessions were quite helpful. He was always even-keel emotionally and willing to go the extra-mile to help us in class or train us with new skills (like GIS). Jim is a great person.

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Jim was a great teacher assistant. Not only was he a valuable resource when it came to questions about econometrics, his interesting experiences in field work in places like Brazil and Africa with the Peace Corps gave our class a role model. I believed that Jim and Matt complimented each other in the best of ways and through them, I’ve had more interactions with Fletcher students. One of the most memorable experiences with Jim: when our EPIIC class went sledding and suddenly out of nowhere, Jim collides with our six-person sled while going down the slopes in a full set of skis!

Jim will be a deeply missed member of the IGL community. For more information: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/james-shyne-obituary?pid=1000000184008583

 

In loving memory of Bory Damyanova (September 20, 1983 - November 22, 2005)

Below is the autobiography written by Bory when she was enrolled in the 2003-04 EPIIC colloquium:

Boryana is from Sofia, Bulgaria. She is currently double majoring in International Relations and Economics at Tufts University. Her interests in business and her international background have formed her great passion for international management and international law. Boryana's future plans are to attend graduate school and receive a degree in both Business and Law. Then, she would like to blend them together in pursuing a career in corporate law. She is very ambitious and enthusiastic about what she does and what she wants to achieve. Working on campus at the Institute of Global Leadership and the Political Science Department enhanced her freshman-year experience. Now, in her sophomore year, she is continuing to work for the Political Science Department and also for the Off Campus Housing Resource Center at Tufts. She is also part of the Tufts Ballroom Dancing team, so if you like to dance... During the summer of 2005, Bory was employed as a Marketing and Logistics Manager for the start-up mobile media company Scootadz in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She also attended the Tuck Business Bridge Program in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Bory introduced the 2003-04 EPIIC Symposium: The US Role in the World: Dilemmas of Empire and Nationbuilding. Below are some excerpts of her speech:

Dear Students, faculty, distinguished guests My name is Boryana and I am a student in this year's EPIIC class. EPIIC is an acronym that stands for interesting, overwhelming, challenging, eclectic, thoughtful, diverse, practical, and a million other adjectives. What it literally means is Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship, which is one of the main programs of the Institute of Global Leadership at Tufts. We, the students, call it simply "the EPIIC class" because it is so exhaustive and multifaceted that it is hard to capture its meaning succinctly.... For some, EPIIC might mean a group of involved people who care about how one can make a difference in the world. I am sure that for every single EPIIC student this class has an intrinsically different meaning. And that's the beauty of it. That is why we are together! We want to be eclectic, both in our knowledge and our personalities... Thus, as you can see, it is very hard to explain what exactly EPIIC is, especially being a part of the class and experiencing it every day. The only way in which I can approach this challenge is to utilize the facts and then maybe I can allude to some of the emotions, dreams, and perceptions that keep us together.... On behalf of the whole class I want to thank you for your appreciation, advice, encouragement, and belief that we can accomplish our dreams, to make them happen. Thanks for providing us with an example, thanks for inspiring us. What holds together the multidimensional facet of EPIIC is love and passion. Passion for knowledge, awareness, intervention, application of theory and experience in an effort to bring a positive result.... I hope you enjoy this year's Symposium. I hope it invokes challenging thoughts, poses noteworthy questions, and provides a variety of approaches to answer them. I hope it is a breath-taking experience, just as EPIIC has been for all of us.

MEMORIES

We have received numerous emails and phone calls remembering Bory. Read about some of these memories... From Micah Kiel, fellow Washington Semester student, Fall 2004

Bory was, quite simply, a gem. In the classroom, I remember her tenacity; socially, I recall her warmth. My favorite memory with Bory... sitting next to her at a Washington Wizards game. In the nose-bleed section, each of us rested our feet on the chairs in front of us, and she told me about life in Bulgaria. On the way home, we got separated from our other friends in Metro lines. We decided to take a cab to save time and walked probably ten blocks before we found one. Always quick to converse, she discussed the latest union strikes with the driver; we wished him well in his efforts to secure better benefits. She paid the cab fare, and I promptly paid her back the next day. My favorite gift that Bory gave me... somehow, she made me feel more comfortable to being me. Oh, how special that is. Even in death, Bory, you have managed to bring people together...I witness that on this web site and in the news. Good work, my friend, good work.

From Nancy Keech, Bory's high school teacher in Sofia

I have just been told about Bory's death. I was one of her high school teachers at ACS in Sofia. Since then, we've kept in touch with email, calls - she even visited me twice in the small town I live in, in Ontario. It is devastating. She was a brilliant, loving woman. I remember her huge smile as she sit in class, enthusiastic about everything. She never worried about other people thought of her in the school - she went her own way with such integrity and passion. She won a public speaking prize for her thoughts on feminism, and I was honoured to go with her to see her give this speech. I will never forget Bory. If there is any memorial scholarship or other lasting tribute to Bory planned, please let me know. In my class, the students had a chance to write little notes to each other, talking about what they admired. I kept copies. Here is what Bory's grade 10 class said about her: Bory, I love your smile… A really ambitious and devoted person, always knowing what she is doing Always well organized So sweet - don’t worry so much about studying! You are great - smile! I like you for always doing what you think is right Talked to me when I needed, behaves friendly and seems to understand me You can really cheer people up You are always at the centre of things Enjoys helping people (gives notes to study, helps with homework) such a clever girl - I like that u r always smiling I like the fact that whenever someone needs help you are the person!!! A serious person who knows her aims and does everything in order to accomplish it.

From Yoni Bock, Bory's teaching assistant, 2003-04 EPIIC

To write a few words about Bory is like trying to contain lightening in a jar. There is no way to capture the energy. Rather, one must simply enjoy the few seconds of fleeting illumination and energy as it rushes by and then confine oneself to the memory of the experience. My knowledge of Bory was limited to the role of her teaching assistant the year she participated in the EPIIC class. As with all of the students, and Bory in particular, I found myself awed and challenged by each class member - a maturity far beyond the accumulated years of life and a desire to engage, inspire, and change the world for the better. With Bory, my recollections are of her presence rather than specific anecdotes - a never-fading smile, a regular "hey, how's it going!" after class, and a vibrancy and zest that resonates with me to this day. It was with stunned disbelief and profound sadness that I learned of Bory's untimely passing. Death is not a noun that comes remotely close to any conceivable notion of her. Yet, in the horrific acceptance of her death, amidst the sadness, I think with a smile about the bolt of lightening I was privileged to know. My thoughts, prayers, and deepest condolences are with all of Bory's family, friends, and community.

From Catherine Serrano '06

Bory and I have been good friends since we lived on the 2nd floor of Tilton during freshman year. We were to graduate together in May, and I was to help her find an apartment in my native city of New York. We never thought anything would get in the way of our plans. Her friendship meant so much to me, and I miss her tremendously. Though her academic and professional accomplishments are widely known, I feel it is important to express to everyone what an amazing friend she was. Bory was a loyal and caring, ambitious young woman who had the ability and determination to change the world for the better. My only hope is that these changes will still take place through the lives that she touched, and the friendships that she nurtured. Bory, I consider myself lucky to have had you as my friend, I hope I made your time here as happy as you've made mine. You will always remain in my heart, and will always be remembered. Obicham te.

From Mike DeBartolo '06

The death of Bory Damyanova is a crushing loss to the Tufts community. I was not close with Bory, but when I saw her picture in the Tufts Daily, I immediately recognized her as the bright, friendly student from a few of my economics classes. I always had a lot of respect for her because she frequently asked probing questions in class that helped everyone understand the material better. She was a great student and a great person. She will be missed.

From Kelly J. Eaton, Manager, GEPAC, GE Corporate

I had the pleasure of knowing Bory when she was an intern at GE in 2004 during her semester with the Tuft-in-Washington program. She was so brilliant and driven. Bory had a fantastic personality and was excited about every project and task she worked on. It was clear she had a successful future ahead of her. She will be greatly missed.

From Ivo Tsekov, Department of International Law and International Relations, Faculty of Law, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ochridsky"

My name is Ivo Tsekov, 25, from Sofia, Bulgaria. I am currently completing my MA studies in International Relations. I was extremely despaired to learn of Boryana Damaynova's death. I haven't had the chance to meet Bory in person but I do know, however, her mother - professor Penka Damyanova, who has been my teacher in English at the University of Sofia. I am sure she is very proud of her daughter's academic achievements. It seems unfair that God would take her away so soon. I would like to express my sympathy to Bory's family and to all her friends in Tufts University.

From Paula J. Driscoll, Tufts Political Science Department Administrator

Bory worked for us in the Political Science Department since 2003. The memory of Bory’s beautiful smile will remain in my heart forever. “Angels are students in Heaven and teachers on Earth”. Bory taught all of us and I’ll truly miss her.

Bory's work has inspired the Boryana Damyanova Award for Corporate Social Responsibility which is now given annually. For more information please visit this site. Bory's spirit and vitality touched us all. If you would like to share your photos, stories and thoughts of Bory, email the Institute for Global Leadership at info@tuftsgloballeadership.org

In loving memory of David Cartagena (April 13, 1971 - May 31, 2009)

The Institute mourns the passing of David Cartagena, senior streetworker of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence in Providence, Rhode Island. His was one of the most humane and inspirational voices we have ever welcomed in our 25 years. His role as a peacemaker in his community and in the world is so important. Our hearts go out to his daughter and his family, as well as to the community at the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence and its director, Teny Oded Gross, one of our dear alumni and a close friend of David's. David's work extended beyond Providence, as his impact was beginning to be felt in other regions of the world. He was participated in a conference on youth civic participation in Central America, Líderes del Presente, in Antigua, Guatemala, in May 2008, which was convened by the IGL's strategic ally, the Project on Justice in Times of Transition. We ask that the IGL community write in to share your thoughts and reflections so that we may share them with David's family. If you would like to share your photos, stories and thoughts of David, email the Institute for Global Leadership at info@tuftsgloballeadership.org More information about David and his work at the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence Recently, David was the subject of a documentary photo essay by Rishwanth Jayapaul, called “Serving a Purpose,” view the images and read about it here

What can I say? Its just to hard to even process the idea right now. I remember David being the only speaker brought in front of our class who managed to captivate our class for an entire hour beyond our usual time, without anyone even remotely suggesting that the class be dismissed. So genuine and inspirational. It really is hard to find the words to describe the importance of his presence and work. Given the briefness of our interaction in our lifetimes, one can only be humbly be grateful at this point for his life to have touched mine. You don't come by men like David often enough. My sincerest condolences to his family and friends, and to all the children who depended on his work. If there is anything at all we can do as a student group to try and fill the immense gap he must have left at Teny's Institute... Dwijo G.

My heart cried when I heard David passed away, I have known David for over 20 years, I have seen him at his worst and seen him grow into his best, not too many people if any can do what David has done for this community. God gave us a angel when he sent David to us. He devoted his heart and time into making a difference in the lives of others. He made a difference in mine , helping me get my son on the right path, he never once said no I can't help you, he always said don't worry "I got you" and he always did . The only way to describe David is.... he was a miracle, strong willed with a heart of gold, my regret is not getting the chance to tell him thank you and letting him know how much my son and I appreciated everything he has done for us. I send my love to his family. Yovanny S.

David was a great man. I met David four years ago as I working at an exclusion/transitional school with at risk youth that the Providence Middle School did not know what to do with them at the time and were placed in this small environment while school officials found a placement that assisted the students needs. As a new counselor I had to mutli-task behavioral issues as they arise. I remember David walking into the school with a smile on his face, shaking every students hand, listening, always listening to each child, and observant. When David spoke to the children they listened. David was always there for me when a youth I was servicing had an issue in the community, he would drop what he was doing to assist them even on his days off or when he was spending quality time with his family. Now I work with older youth who are on probation and numerous are gang involved in the city of Providence. Every time I called David once again he was there. He was very consistent, loving, caring, compassionate with his work. I will always remember David as a person who looked beyond each youths symptom but rather looked for the core issue and gave his advise, undivided attention, and most of all his love as he and I both know that most troubled youth run to friends for a sense of love/family. David will always be considered just that, a family to everyone in Providence, Rhode Island. Jasmin O.

Queridas/os todas/os: A pesar de haber compartido muy poco con David durante la experiencia en la Antigua, fue de las personas que más me impactaron por su sonrisa permanente y las ganas de vivir...Va una oración desde Nicaragua para David.. Abrazos a todas/os, Sandra zuniga

Queridos miembros de la Red Lideres del Presente: Me sumo a la pena por la ida de David, su presencia en la red aportaba un ingrediente especial porque su trabajo de no violencia lo había tenido en sí mismo, eso le hacia ser un participante con un compromiso real, decidido para un mundo mejor. Abrazos, Iris Castejón-Wollny

Querido líderes: Me sumo al dolor de su familia y amigos. Mis recuerdos de David están llenos de admiración por su empuje y afán de superación… Confío en que se continuará su obra para honrar su memoria. Un abrazo, Magdalena Segre Director of Operations FRIDE

Conoci a David en Guatemala. Me impresiono su espiritu abierto, optimismo y esperanza contagiosa. Una perdida irreparable pero sin duda su energia para mejorar el mundo de los jovenes queda con nosotros. Pedro Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, Ph. D. Project Director Staying Safe National Development Research Institutes, Inc

I was in the presence of David for one day. As a Tufts sophomore, I attended the EPIIC Colloquim where I heard David speak about his experiences and ideas on dealing with the ever-present plague of societal violence. I spoke with David in person after the panel, where he shared more of his personal background with me. And since then, I have shared his message with others. His power to apply lessons he learned in his life to problems other people are facing is more than admirable. I pondered why tears came to my eyes when reading about the tragic passing of David, for he was merely a speaker at a panel who I talked to for a half an hour. A half an hour. And I concluded that - to me, he is heroic. I know few individuals who devote their lives to the pursuit of making the lives of others better. That is my dream for my future. To me-- and I'm sure to many-- David is a hero. The type of life he lived, the type of person he was, has increased the amount of hope and peace in this world. Can any pursuit be more worthwhile than his? Please keep David's endeavor to lessen gang violence alive. If we as a human race can persevere and fight for the seemilngy unanswerable solutions like David did with such honor, then maybe we can change this world we live in for the better. Thank you David, for influencing countless people, young and old, with your bravery and wisdom. You are exemplary. --Amy Ouellette, Tufts University Class of 2011

In loving memory of David Richard Rawson (April 4, 1985 – July 28, 2007)

In 2007 The Institute suffered the loss of a member of its community. David Rawson, a senior, passed away quite suddenly after graduation.

David had been on the Program Committee and was integral to organizing the panel on “Global Governance and Multinational Corporations: Changing Roles and Responsibilities.” After graduation, he was planning to join US Naval Intelligence. Below are some of his reflections on the year.

“EPIIC has made me realize that the people who are engaged in the issues we have covered—pretty much everyone who lectured in class or spoke at the symposium (above all, the Padraig O’Malley types)—think on a far more complex and multidimensional level than any media outlet can provide. Their knowledge goes beyond the facts and sees the alternative ways forward, the conflicts of interest, and the moral debates that characterize global crises. Their insights are always changing and adapting to the conditions on the ground. Unfortunately, the centers of power in the world we live in are too confined to habit, ideology, and history to respond as quickly or creatively. Accordingly, EPIIC has set my sights and capabilities higher as I embark on a career of public service."

“With governance on any scale of power or degree of magnitude, there is complexity. There are no easy solutions to the challenges facing governance, only an interdisciplinary yet often puzzling web of linkages and synergies. In most cases, the robust solutions are more comprehensive and reasonable than the optimal solutions. This elevates the importance of the value of history and the study of history in understanding global problems. Without resorting to global government, global governance develops legitimacy by taking context into account—identifying historical analogies, avoiding making the same mistake twice, and extrapolating existing trends into the future, so we can be better prepared for them. As James Dewar suggests, these integrations help us answer the question, “How do we best act, not knowing what the future holds?”

“Rosenau and Globalization – My experience in EPIIC this year was shaped in many ways by this characterization of global governance and its tasks. I look at the world much differently than I did before the colloquium began. While at the time of his lecture to the class, James Rosenau appeared overly abstract, it is clear now that his words ring true. On one level, his query, “of what is this an instance?” prompted my approach to a research proposal on the Davos World Economic Forum as well as my analysis of Juan Enriquez’ The Untied States of America, which presents a host of problems that compel one to climb the ladder of abstraction in order to grasp their complexity. On a deeper level, two currents in Rosenau’s thinking resonate with how my own thinking has changed as a result of the work I did with EPIIC. He charged that conceptual jails develop the habits of thinking in absolutes and complete frameworks. Prior to the colloquium, my jail was most likely characterized by an American-centered view of the world, and more generally, a nation-state view of the world. While I had been educated in an intellectually liberal enough environment to realize this jail, EPIIC compelled me to really understand it and challenge it with alternatives. Habit is truly a powerful force in the world (e.g. the states-are-forever habit), but it obviates the fact that globalization is accelerating at an extraordinary rate and creating multi-dimensional phenomena."

“Rosenau’s second current elaborates on this truth, and it is that power, traditionally understood as material possessions and military capabilities used to control the behavior of other actors, does not provide insight into relations and interactions between actors. Taking new account of the nationalism that results from a local culture’s deep seated-ness informed my understanding of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Rosenau’s insight also leads to cosmopolitanism, or broadening horizons, which is what led me to study abroad in China and learn its language, Mandarin, spoken by one-sixth of the people in the world. It is also leading me to discover the ways in which military and intelligence services are adapting to the messiness of the world by joining the United States Navy after graduation.”

EPIIC Teaching Assistant Matan Chorev commented on David’s impact on the class, “David was an outstanding student at EPIIC. This is no surprise to anyone who had any sense of his intellect, his commitment to learning things in depth and in comprehensive fashion, and his refusal to accept unexamined truths. What most impressed me about David is that he seemed to take his classmates with him on any exploratory journey related to the course. He was a good teammate and embraced the kind of learning the EPIIC program tried to promote in its students. I did not know David as well as his classmates and friends but I certainly observed with great clarity the degree to which they all respected, admired, and appreciated him. He was not an outspoken presence but always a steady hand, a reasoned voice, a passionate learner.”

Freshman Raoul Alwani wrote, “I met David Rawson after we took EPIIC together this year. We were in the same study group (Team EPIIC!!) which led to us becoming good friends outside of class. Besides his fiery red hair, what always struck me about David was his warm smile, easy laugh, and genuine concern about how you were doing even when you’d just bump into him on the way to class or around campus. He loved learning about new people and cultures, had a strong passion for music and had a great desire to make a positive change in the world. He had a strong mind and an even stronger heart in wanting to make a difference. He was always one for a joke, and you couldn’t help but reinforce his good feelings and powerful vibes whenever he was around. At EPIIC parties he would tear up the dance floor. In class he would give you a big smile. Outside of class he would give you a big hug. David truly did love people. It was part of his infectious charm, and we loved him in return.”

Sophomore James Nadel said, “David Rawson was many things. To me, he was a classmate who displayed commitment, unexpected diversity, modesty, and courage. Commitment for his model pursuit of the knowledge introduced to us in our shared academic environment. Diversity for the many times he surprised me with his musical, vocal, or dancing ability. Modesty for the lack of attention he sought for it. And courage for the decision at the end of his undergraduate career to commit the next chapter of his life to public service, rather than to immediately seek the business career he had long planned for. It is heartbreaking and unforgettable when someone is lost before they have experienced all those chapters. But any man could spend his lifetime gaining the love of as many as David did by only twenty-two, and still count his years well-lived.”

Born in San Francisco, California, on April 4, 1985, David Richard Rawson was the only child of David and Andrea Rawson. David, so full of life, passed away suddenly from a ruptured artery on July 28, 2007, at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.  David gradated with honors from University High School in San Francisco in 2003. He then attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, where he graduated in May 2007 with a B.A. in International Relations.

David was a young man who loved and lived life to its fullest. To his parents, he was cherished as a son who was as loving to them as they were to him. They shared many good memories in their wonderful twenty-two years together. To his friends and all those who knew him, David was a fun, caring and interesting person with a genuine charisma that caused everyone to be naturally drawn to him. To know him was to love him. He had a wonderful energy about him that will continue in our hearts forever.

David was a precocious child from the very beginning. His parents introduced him to music at a very young age, and music became his passion in life. At the age of seven David began piano lessons, and by his teens, he was an accomplished classical and jazz pianist. He especially enjoyed playing the classics, including the music of Mozart, Gershwin, Fred Astaire and Cole Porter. Furthering his artistic sensibility, David also became a talented singer and actor. At University High School, he showcased his dance and vocal skills by performing in plays and musicals, including Oklahoma, Our Town, Girl Crazy and lastly, Damn Yankees, where he was the lead actor. He continued to pursue his musical interests at Tufts, where he was a member of the Tufts University Chamber Singers, with whom he traveled to perform concerts in Europe and throughout much of New England.

As a sophomore at Tufts, David was able to spend a summer in Talloires, France, where he studied at the Tufts University European Center and furthered his near-fluency in the French language. During his junior year, David spent a semester abroad in Hong Kong studying the history and politics of China. He furthered his experiences by exploring China for several weeks and studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing. David’s intellectual sense was that of a reflective, serious and empathetic individual who cultivated a true sense of justice. He demonstrated a passion for the interplay of ideas and was able to engage his intellect as a key member of the Primary Source political magazine and the EPIIC symposium management committee. David was true to his ideals and represented the best combination of passionate intelligence and moral courage.

David was able to excel in everything he did. Not only was he academically and musically gifted, he could swing a golf club, ski and play tennis better than most. David was an inspiration and joy to know, and his memory will remain in the hearts of his friends and family.

If you would like to share your photos, stories and thoughts of David, email the Institute for Global Leadership at info@tuftsgloballeadership.org