Dana Laird

Dana Laird was killed in a bicycle accident in Central Square on July 2nd, 2002. The following is a copy of the text that appeared in the program of her memorial service, held on 27 July, 2002, at Tufts University.

Dana Laird, an academic, a world traveller, a spiritual searcher, and a woman who reveled in her strong, well-trained body, died in a bicycle accident on 2 July 2002. Dana was born in Philadelphia, PA but her family moved to Dallas, TX when she was young. By the time she graduated as valedictorian from Highland Park High School in 1984 Dana was a proud Texan. Dana went to college at Princeton University where she majored in Religion. Following graduation she embarked on a life of travel and learning that most people would envy. She taught English in Japan for a year, and after returning to the US decided to pursue graduate education at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University, where she received her Masters degree in 1994. The same year, she married a fellow student, Kenji Nakano.

For the last several years Dana has lived and worked in Cambridge, pursuing her Ph.D at Fletcher. The topic of her dissertation was to be the role of American women missionaries in Meiji-era Japan. The topic brought together her love of travel in Asia, her knowledge of Christianity, and her fierce desire to illuminate the role of women in history.

Dana travelled extensively and intrepidly. She found herself in Tiananmen Square during the uprising there, and left China via the trans-Siberian Railway. At school she participated in Fletcher-sponsored Asia-Pacific seminars in Russia, Mexico, and Japan. In 2000, Dana spent two months travelling through India and Bangladesh.

She loved the speed and physicality of her body. She enjoyed running, biking, hiking, swimming, skiing, climbing - any sport that allowed her to revel in the outdoors, listen to the pounding of her own heart, and compete against her own limits. She was an active member of the Cambridge Running Club, and ran marathons in New York, Vermont, Dallas and Boston. She kayaked along the coast of Massachusetts and Maine and undertook a two-week solo kayak trip in Alaska.

Dana loved music and sang with the Ambassachords, Voiceworks, and most recently the Boston Women’s Rainbow Chorus. Music lifted her soul, and you could see it in the way she leaned in and smiled through every line of every song she performed.

Dana touched many people deeply. Her enthusiasm and talent for physical activity challenged our bodies. Her intelligence and wit enriched our minds. Her personal quest for understanding and meaning in life touched our souls. Body, mind, and soul. Dana Laird was loved, in all of her complexity. Today we are celebrating her life. We will miss her more than words will ever convey.

Dana Laird, in a letter written on 9 August 1999, before a two-week solo kayak trip in Alaska:

"Right now I find myself, interestingly, empty of fears or expectations or even thoughts to ponder. It’s a stillness that has been rare for me, and I don’t mind it. Perhaps it’s an appropriate quiet of the soul with which to head out on my trip. ... we may need simply to be still and let truth come to us as it will. The hope ... is that there does exist a truth, and goodness, and meaning. What odd and wonderful creatures we are that we have such desires."

Memorial Charities

Three charitable funds have been established in Dana's honor, to which tax-deductible contributions can be made. Details are as follows:

The Dana Laird Memorial Fund is a donor-advised fund that will be used to make donations to charities that help to introduce women to the outdoor activities that Dana loved. Contributions can be made by sending checks payable to "Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund" with the notation "Dana Laird Memorial Fund, CGF159651" in the memo section. You can mail checks to:

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
P.O. Box 55158
Boston, MA 02205-5158

Decisions on the charities to be funded will be made by a group of Dana's friends including Rob Beattie, Christy Bonstelle, and Bruce Davie. Please contact Bruce at for more information.

As of June 22, 2004, the fund has raised over $25,000. The first donation from the fund was to Girls Inc. of Lynn, MA, to provide a scholarship for a girl to atend their summer camp. The fund also made a recent donation to Girls Inc. to cover the costs of a "Dana Laird Day" in which the girls at camp are taken on a trip to take part in outdoor activities such as a ropes course.

A scholarship fund has also been established at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Dana's honor. Dana was a member of the class of 1994 and was a PhD candidate. Dana was an active member of the Fletcher community, a member of the Ambassachords, and a regular participant in the North Pacific Summer Seminar. We envision the award going to a deserving PhD candidate who is conducting research work in the fields of Dana's studies: women's issues, religion or Northeast Asia.

Tufts University requires a minimum amount of $10,000 needed to establish a named endowment fund. It is our goal to reach that amount within a few years. Donations can be sent to:

Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy,
Office of Development and Alumni Relations,
Cabot 503,
Medford, MA 02155.

Please enter on the memo line of your check, "Dana Laird Memorial." If you have any questions about this, you can contact either:

Zachary Abuza
978-412-8112 (h)
617-521-2586 (o)


Roger Milici
Director of Development & Alumni Relations
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Cabot Intercultural Center C503
Tufts University
Medford, MA 02155

The Boston Women's Rainbow Chorus has established the Dana Laird Memorial Fund. The BWRC is Boston's only chorus for lesbians, bisexual women, and their allies. It seeks to create bridges to the broader community through song, in order to dispel the myths that foster prejudice, and disempower all of us. In addition, the chorus seeks to give voice to the long-silenced history of women in music by developing singers, performing music written and/or arranged by women, and by commissioning pieces by women composers.

Dana Laird came to the Boston Women's Rainbow Chorus as an accomplished singer, arranger, and musician. With her typical energy and enthusiasm, she quickly became a musical leader in the chorus, by assisting with accompaniment, leading sectional rehearsals, and recording practice tapes for the chorus. The BWRC has established the Dana Laird Memorial Fund to support commissions for music by female composers, which will be performed by the chorus. Donations can be made to:

Boston Women's Rainbow Chorus/Dana Laird Memorial Fund,
P.O. Box 1002,
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.

Dana Laird in the Mt. Washington Road Race, June 2001

Dana Laird (far left) with other members of the CRC at the Burlington relays, May 2000

Dana in the Mt. Washington Road Race, June 2002

Shrine for Dana on Mass Ave.

For more information, contact Bruce Davie at