A plea to Chancellor Young for the art of consideration

Published: Thursday, February 29, 1996

Remember Aaron Lesser, contribute to the children Camper Fund in his name name

By Michelle E. Lesser

and Gershon M. Lesser

Oliver Wendell Holmes expressed that "Life is action and passion. It is expected of a man that he share in the action and passion of his time under penalty of being judged not to have lived."

George Bernard Shaw, commenting on the art of living, expressed, "I am convinced my life belongs to the whole community; and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life. Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before turning it over to future generations."

And John Tabb said, "Every year that I live I am more convinced that the waste of life lies in the love we have not given, the powers we have not used, the selfish prudence which will risk nothing, and which, shirking pain misses happiness as well."

Your classmate of three years ago, Aaron David Lesser, understood the momentum of the art of living very well. As lead speaker in the UCLA debate team, he was caught up in the art of debate. The tragedy of his intentions to represent UCLA well was his untimely death as he returned with the team in a borrowed van that the team used. The van's blown-out tire and other factors tumbled it over at 70 mph, tossing Aaron to his death.

He has been held by his classmates and team members to have been a master at the art of living. He was clearly not a master of the art of mastering fate. William Shakespeare commented, "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries; and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures."

Thirty days after Aaron's death, he was elected to mortar board. He had been offered a potential partnership in an appeals law firm if he were to successfully complete law school and pass the bar.

On the fateful moment of his departure for UCLA, he left, troubled by the reality that he would miss the opportunity to study for major exams to take place on his return. His girlfriend asked him not to go; we as his parents did the same. At school, he was pressured into going. He went.

The motorcycle officer appeared at our home at 10:00 p.m. March 1, 1993 to inform us of our son's death at 2:30 that afternoon. We were advised that the chancellor's office had known about its occurrence. Since the chancellor did not phone us, we phoned the chancellor to find out all that we could learn of this silent tragedy. And that is what we received - silence. The chancellor was unavailable.

And to this day, the chancellor has made no vocal contact with this family. We often wonder if Aaron had been a member of the football team, whether or not Chancellor Young would have maintained radio silence. The only tears of pain we heard on the phone were those of his coach.

The chancellor has decided to retire now. We have still not spoken to the chancellor. At first we were told by outsiders unconnected with UCLA that perhaps that was due to his concern for legal liabilities. Then we were informed that he and the university did not consider its debate team as a team, but as a club for which they bore no responsibility. It matters not now.

Now beyond the statute of limitations, and having received neither subpoena nor suit, the chancellor has still not phoned. Problem is, Aaron is still dead.

We accept that for Aaron's intuitive sense for the art of living, we needed to use his lessons about living, even though we came to excel in the art of suffering and the art of living when life is difficult. Our charge was to find the lesson in adversity, and the art of facing sorrow.

What was the chancellor's interest in his student? Should leaders of universities not be endowed with the power of truth, the art of living in community, the teaching about that still small voice within which must be recognized, then mastered?

Aaron's birthday was Feb. 24. We still celebrate it. Strangely, we have waited for a call from Chancellor Young. We know it will not come, yet in our ongoing search for meaning, we feel its absence signals a message of what UCLA students may be missing.

What art does Young teach that equates with the lessons Aaron taught? Has he spent a moment recognizing that in the name of his institution, a young man gave his life because his team demanded his art for the sake of a school win? Or are we reaching beyond the issues of process and simply wondering how in the course of things, a leader has it so easy in his soul to remain so distant and unavailable to the phone?

The chancellor need not be concerned about a lawsuit. Nevertheless, a memorial fund was established in the name of Aaron Lesser at the Westside YMCA camper department to send impoverished children to a full summer camp who otherwise could afford nothing more than trouble on the streets of Los Angeles.

Thus, we extend an opportunity to all who care about that search for meaning which really must take hold of our educated people if, in fact, we can remain free and grow. We ask all of you to consider a donation to the Aaron D. Lesser Camper Fund for children to be sent to the Westside YMCA not far from UCLA so that a child of any race, any creed, any color who needs it ... can receive a summer of learning about the art of living and the blessings of friendship.

We hope the debate team will consider a living gift. Chancellor, would you care to offer your donation for a lesson to this community of your concern for the art of work and deed?

Michelle and Gershon Lesser are the parents of Aaron D. Lesser.Comments to webmaster@db.asucla.ucla.edu