Memorial Service Honors Deceased Alum

Classmates, family, and professors gathered last night in Leverett House Dining Hall to remember Joseph M. Hanzich ’06, a first-year Yale Law School student who died of a heart attack last month.

A slideshow highlighting moments in Hazich’s life—photos of him diving into 40-degree water in Chile and posing at the U.S. Open—cycled in the background as those who knew him shared memories of his impact on their lives.

The 23-year-old was found dead in his New Haven, Conn., apartment on Sept. 13 after complaining of feeling unwell during a pick-up game of basketball the night before.

Howard Georgi ’67, master of Leverett House, joked before the service began that there were not more images of Hanzich in the slideshow because he was “always off trying to save the world.”

Hanzich was a prominent member of the Harvard community while studying government at the College, leading the Harvard College Democrats as vice president and serving as the director of Harvard’s Relay for Life.

“Joey was just incandescent,” said Catherine Shapiro, the Allston Burr resident dean of Leverett House. “He was a shining star and we miss him very much.”

Dedicating his time to creating positive change, Hanzich volunteered at nursing homes and provided Spanish translation services to the poor at a Harvard Law School legal services clinic.

Hanzich distinguished himself in the classroom as well, graduating as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and receiving a prestigious scholarship to the University of Cambridge to earn a master’s degree in public health over the past year.

During one of his summers as an undergraduate, Hanzich traveled to Santiago, Chile, to conduct health policy work. He made such an impression that he earned the nickname “Mayor.” Indeed, several friends said that they believed he would someday become president of the United States.

Yet each person who spoke during the service emphasized Hanzich’s humility.

“Joey had no pretense,” said Jessica S. Budnitz, Hanzich’s pre-law adviser in Leverett. “There was no sense of entitlement.”

Friends and family stressed the importance of carrying on Hanzich’s legacy of service and compassion.

“Joey loved life more than anyone I have ever known or will ever know,” said Eric M. Hanzich ’11, Joseph Hanzich’s younger brother. “He wanted everyone to feel the same way.”

At both Yale Law School and the College, memorial scholarship funds have been established in Hanzich’s name to promote health policy causes that most impassioned Hanzich.

—Staff writer Aditi Balakrishna can be reached at balakris@fas.harvard.edu.