Excerpt of email in April 2006 from Amy Howell to Dean Cynda Johnson
…On the morning of our first day of medical school in August 2002, Dr. Peden told us that we had lost the 73rd member of our class, the Class of 2006. Tiana Nicole Williams was to be a member of our class, but she was killed by her fiancé in a domestic violence dispute in July 2002, one month prior to beginning medical school. Only one student in our class had met her, but we all felt the tragic loss.
In our second year, Andrew Southerland, vice-president of our class, Amy Howell, president of the local chapter of the American Medical Women’s Association and Charlene Davenport, president of the local chapter of the Student National Medical Association along with all members of the Class of 2006, decided that an endowment would be the best way to honor Tiana. Tana Hall, a member of the class of 2006, also joined in and has had a pivotal leadership role. The endowment would provide a source of annual funds for medical student community service or research projects for the prevention of domestic violence. The class felt as though this endowment would be a lasting gift we would give the school in honor of our classmate and bring needed attention to the issue of domestic violence.
So we began our journey towards the $25,000 minimum needed to endow a fund at the Medical Foundation. We organized a city-wide yard sale April 3, 2004, followed by a raffle in November and December 2004, a book sale in September 2005, a bake sale in November 2005 and a city-wide yard sale April 22, 2006. We have been supported by the Medical Student Council, which has given us the proceeds from both the 2004 and 2005 Talent Shows. We have also been supported by the BSOM Classes of 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2004, who have donated money to our cause. The faculty, community and families and friends of our class have also all been very supportive of our cause. With all this support, we have exceeded our $25,000 goal and we will be placing a granite memorial bench outside the auditorium to serve as a reminder of both Tiana and the seriousness of domestic violence…