Law School Mourns Death of First-Year Student

A first-year Harvard Law School student died on Monday, according to Law School administrators.

Gregory C.M. Tang was a law student who had worked as an engineer before enrolling at the Law School.

The medical examiner has not provided the school with any official information about Tang’s death, according to Dean of Students Ellen Cosgrove.

The Law School student body was notified by an e-mail from Dean of the Law School Martha L. Minow sent yesterday.

Cosgrove said that students with whom she had spoken have repeatedly emphasized that Tang was “adventurous and enthusiastic, and someone who had great perspective.”

“They all said he was a ‘chill’ guy,” Cosgrove said.

Tang participated in the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology as well as the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association.

Co-President of APALSA Jeremy N. Tran described Tang as “very kind” and “a little quiet.” “He was a great person and everyone absolutely adored him,” said Tran.

“He was a wonderful person, and I think very highly of him.”

According to Tran, Tang had accompanied APALSA members on a ski trip this past weekend. Learning of Tang’s death “was kind of a shock for all of us,” Tran said.

APALSA held a gathering last night to offer support to its members and to “let them know that we’re here.”

Tang graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan and received an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. Cosgrove said that the Law School plans to hold an event to commemorate Tang’s life. Though specific arrangements have not been made, Cosgrove said that she will meet with students to plan something “meaningful for the community.” Memorial Church has offered its space for a service, Cosgrove said.

According to Tran, Tang’s classmates from his course section have discussed participating in the memorial or creating a memory book.

“In his short time here, Gregory Tang added astute, well-grounded legal judgment to our community and, more importantly, always did so with good humor and respect for others,” Professor John Manning, Tang’s section leader, said in the e-mail sent to the student body. “We will miss him sorely.”

“When tragic things happen we need to turn to community, and we are fortunate to have a wonderful community here,” Minow wrote in her e-mail.

—Staff writer Zoe A. Y. Weinberg can be reached at zoe.weinberg@college.harvard.edu.