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	Dr. Harry Dawson's Tribute

	The statement that follows was written by Dr. Harry Dawson, Donald’s English Honors teacher. Donald once told his father that if he could spend a whole day with Mr. Dawson, he would know everything. In turn, Monsignor Kelly in reading these remarks at Donald’s memorial service, reported that Donald was Dr. Dawson’s “most favored” student in 40 years of teaching. Don Yaw was the kind of kid who reminded you of why you went into teaching, and why you stayed in. If you were Don‘s teacher, he just had a way of making your day. I t was not simply that he was smart and creative and talented. ..which he was. ..and not just that he was warm and friendly and humorous. ..which he was... ..and not just that he was a totally dedicate, hard working student... which he was, above all he was open and responsive to life itself, in all of its aspects, from new ideas in class to new experiences in the world at large, to learning about the things that interested him, which was pretty much everything. When you tossed some thoughts his way in class, he didn't just let them wash over him. He reacted, he started thinking, he was galvanized, he came back with thoughtful comments and questions, and he followed up with fruitful efforts. When you told him that you thought that he might enjoy Hemingway’s writing, he would go out and pick up one of his novels, read it, kick it around with you, and then buy some others and plunge further in. If you mentioned, in the Fall how thrilling and challenging canoeing was, by Springtime he would be out paddling down tricky rivers, relating to nature, and even getting his Dad to share the pleasure...and an occasional dunking. On a seminar field trip, Don could be equally stimulated by a painting by Vermeer, an Angel on a Neapolitan Christmas tree, the landscape and sculptures of Central Park, the latest Martin Scorsese film, or a hot dog shared with his buddies. In short, Don possessed a wonderful gift. Whether as a student, an athlete, a musician, or just a regular guy hanging out - a gift for allowing virtually everything and everybody he encountered to enrich his life. His family, his friends, his teachers, his coaches came to realize that they were having a positive ripple effect in their relationships with Don and this fact, in turn, made their lives richer: So we all owe one to Don. When I retired at the end of last year, Don left me with the pleasure of having known and worked with someone who would down the years, embrace all that the world had to offer, someone who surely had ahead of him a life of unlimited possibilities. Now these possibilities have been subjected to the ultimate limitation. On the one hand, it is difficult to imagine a sadder turn of events, and we grieve from the bottom of our hearts. On the other hand, the alternative that Don would surely want us to focus upon, he leaves us all especially his young friends a shining legacy. We can live the sort of lives that Don would live. We can be his surrogates. We can carry the ball that he put into play, we can ourselves reach out for the treasures of life that Don would have sought, discovered, and reveled in to the fullest, and we can share them with others, as he always did. To do this would be to honor Don and to appreciate what he was all about. For this opportunity, we thank him.