Laird Thomason pays tribute by extending a lifetime of connections
Evelyn Thomason was a highly educated and accomplished individual who dedicated her life to law, community service, and her family. When she died January 15, 2025, at age 82, she and Laird Thomason had been married for sixty-one years. As the first anniversary of her death approached, Laird decided to create the Laird and Evelyn Thomason Memorial Fund with a $10,000 unrestricted gift.
The fund celebrates a partnership that began in Iowa and was rooted in the deep soil of the Disciples of Christ. After a fateful meeting in a youth group, both would attend Drake University. In 1963, they married at the Wakonda Christian Church in Des Moines. Laird had completed his first year as a House Scholar by then. Their lives remained intertwined with DDH after that, even as they became centered in the Capital Area region. Laird completed a formative internship with alumnus Arthur Azlein at the Michigan Park Christian Church and, eventually, became minister of the Bethesda Christian Church. Evelyn completed law school and entered practice. Both were engaged in congregational, regional, and general Disciples work.
Through DDH and with fellow alums, the Thomasons cultivated lifelong spiritual, intellectual, and justice connections. Laird's gift helps ensure that possibility for future generations—and thus stands as a living tribute to Evelyn’s memory.