W&L Law Student Lara Gass ‘14L Honored by Friends and Family during Philadelphia Half-Marathon
Classmates of Washington and Lee law student Lara Gass, a member of the Law Class of 2014 who died in a car accident earlier this year, joined other friends and family in Philadelphia last Sunday to run a half marathon in her honor.
The accident that took Gass’s life is the subject of a front page story in the New York Times examining a General Motors recall notice involving an ignition switch defect that could result in a loss of power to braking and air bag systems. The Times story also covers her friends’ efforts to honor her memory, including raising over $65,000 for a scholarship fund in her name.
“We made a decision early on not to mourn Lara but to celebrate Lara,” her father told the Times.
More than 20 friends and family members ran the half-marathon, wearing bright shirts that said “Live Like Lara.” Her classmates wore ribbons with the same words at their graduation in May, during which Gass received a posthumous “Presidential Degree,” the first of its kind awarded by the University.
