S. Donald Gonson, 86 – Cambridge Day

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S. Donald Gonson died on Feb 18, 2023, following a long battle with bladder cancer at the age of 86. Don was a beloved member of the Cambridge, Massachusetts community, where he remained after moving to attend Harvard Law School in the mid 1950s. In 1962, Don joined the law firm Hale and Dorr – now WilmerHale – as its 41st attorney. He has spent his career practicing international corporate law, with a special focus on corporate social governance.

Don was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1936, the son of Jewish immigrant workers from Ukraine and Poland. Don’s father owned a bedding products business that he delivered in the first pickup truck to the Niagara Falls area. Don, a great tenor, inherited his singing ability from his mother. Don’s love of music was carried over to his two daughters, who went on to establish careers in the music business.

Don’s family often visited each other, from Winnipeg, Canada, to Cincinnati and New York. This devotion to family and friends remained until his death. Don gathered close friends from his childhood in Buffalo through college, law school and adulthood. As the decades progressed, their families became intertwined. Visits to Europe, summers in the Cape and Islands and trips to India furthered these connections.

Don received a full New York state scholarship to attend Columbia University as an undergraduate. While at Columbia, Don was granted permission to spend his junior year studying at the London School of Economics. Following his time at Columbia, he attended Harvard Law School.

Don meets Dorothy Rose (Dotty) while babysitting a Harvard dance. As he walked home, he recited a poem; Dotty, who loves poetry, has found her match. The two married on August 28, 1960, and remained together for 62 years. In 1961, Don received a Fulbright to study international law in Mumbai, India. The couple lived there for a year before returning to Cambridge, where they have lived ever since.

Don showed great concern and compassion for others, both in his work and in his personal life. As a young lawyer opposed to the Vietnam War, Don counseled young men subject to the draft under the auspices of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization. Later, he was the government appeals agent attached to the Cambridge Draft Board and served in that position until it was abolished by President Richard Nixon. In the 1980s, Don was chairman of the Massachusetts Community Development Finance Corp., which advised on economic development legislation. Over the years, he was campaign leader at Cambridge United Way and a director of Cambridge Family and Children’s Services and other entities. Closest to his heart is the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, where he was president and sat on the board for more than 40 years. He was also on the board of the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute, where he was a founding member of their meditation and discussion group until his death.

Don took early retirement from Hale and Dorr in 2000; for the next 15 years, he was an adjunct professor of international law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. During this time, Don became a visiting scholar at Oxford, where he greatly enjoyed his interactions with faculty and students.

Outside of the law, Don is interested in politics, economics, history, art and music. Don and Dotty traveled extensively in Europe, where they loved attending the theater. Don might spend a long time in front of a painting or a sculpture, or examining the architecture of a courtyard or a building. He always had a deep curiosity and desire to learn as much as he could about the world and about other people. Two decades ago, Don and Dotty opened their home to Harvard first-year students every year, providing meals for students coming from other countries and many others’ t different backgrounds, to help these children transition into undergraduate life.

Don is survived by his wife Dotty, their two children, Claudia and JJ and son-in-law Anthony, and three grandchildren, Oliver, Ruby and Eve. Funeral services will be private. A memorial service is being planned. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Cambridge Center for Adult Education or the Southern Poverty Law Center, organizations that Don has long supported.

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