W&L Mourns Loss of Law Student Lara Gass ’14L
Washington and Lee University law student Lara D. Gass, a member of the Law Class of 2014, died in a multi-car accident on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. Virginia State Police continue to investigate the cause of the accident, which occurred on Interstate 81.
Gass was a member of the editorial board of the Washington and Lee Law Review, serving as symposium editor and organizer of the Law Review’s annual symposium, which this year focused on the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. She was active within the Women Law Students Organization and also served as a Kirgis Fellow, the law school’s peer mentoring group, during the 2012-2103 academic year.
In January, Gass received recognition for her academic achievements, her leadership abilities, her service to the law school and university community, and her character when she was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the National Leadership Honor Society.
Originally from Tennessee, Gass graduated cum laude from the University of Washington in 2008, where she majored in political science and also studied law and justice. She was a member of several honor societies, including the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. She served as a Big Sister, tutoring first grade students, and as a volunteer in the King County (Washington State) Bar Association’s Central Legal Clinic.
A candlelight vigil to remember Gass will be held on Wednesday, March 19 in front of Lee Chapel at 7:30 p.m. Additional services will take place in Moon Township, Pennsylvania this weekend.
There will be a visitation at Copeland Funeral Home on Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. The address of the funeral home is 981 Brodhead Road, Moon Township, PA., 15108. The funeral service will follow the Saturday visitation. The funeral will take place at Sharon Presbyterian Church at around 2:00 pm. The church address is 522 Carnot Road, Moon Township, Pennsylvania 15108.
In lieu of flowers, the Gass family has requested that donations be made in Lara’s honor to the following institutions:
W&L Law Scholarship Fund
Washington and Lee University School of Law
Lewis Hall 517
204 West Washington Street
Lexington, Virginia 24450
(online form)
The Innocence Project
40 Worth Street, Suite 701
New York, NY 10013
Attn: Development Department
(online form)
Counselors are available to students at the School of Law and at the Student Health Center. Faculty and staff who wish to speak to a counselor should contact the free, confidential Carilion Employee Assistance Program at 800-992-1931.
