David Rawson (LA '07) passed away on June 28 in California after an artery ruptured in his chest. He was 22.
While at Tufts, Rawson was involved with EPIIC, theater, the chamber singers and - until he resigned to express disapproval of the controversial "Christmas carol" - The Primary Source.
He also studied abroad in Talloires during the summer after his freshman year and in Hong Kong during the spring semester of his junior year.
His death came less than six weeks after he graduated cum laude with a degree in international relations. He was in the process of applying to the Navy's Officer Candidate School with the goal of becoming an intelligence officer.
Tufts students remember Rawson as an intensely caring individual with a fiery passion for learning.
"David was an incredible guy known for his compassion, his caring, his intelligence and his unflappable style," close friend and past housemate Charles Solomon (LA '07) said. "He had a great work ethic and was truly interested in learning and the quest for knowledge. But as a friend, more than anything, he was always there for you."
Rawson demonstrated his thirst for knowledge with his involvement in EPIIC, a class that focuses on a different international issue every year. The class is run through the Institute for Global Leadership.
During a symposium sponsored by the class, Rawson moderated a panel on corporate governance that focused on corporate rules and the relationship between businesses and the government.
His EPIIC classmates say they were inspired by his personality.
"At EPIIC parties he would tear up the dance floor," sophomore Raoul Alwani said in an e-mail. "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."
He made a strong impression on his teachers as well. "[He] sought to absorb the multitude of worldviews on the topic rather than oppress his own worldview on others," said Fletcher student Matan Chorev, who served as an EPIIC teaching assistant, in an e-mail. "He was a skeptic in the best sense of the word; he never [merely] accepted a truth and he magnanimously brought his peers along on the same rigorous intellectual journey."
Rawson was interested in learning about other cultures and also in exploring the United States. He had the opportunity to accomplish the latter goal shortly before his death during a road trip from Tufts to California with three friends. "While we were going on it we had to pinch ourselves each day because it was so much fun," Solomon said.
