Remembering Palmer-Sherman

On Dec. 22, 2000, Shira B. Palmer-Sherman, Class of 2002, died after being struck by a car in Harvard Square five days earlier.

Shira’s sudden death shocked the undergraduate community and deeply affected all who knew her.

“She had a level of human realness that is rarely encountered. I think the story which encapsulates her life, ironically, is when she was in the hospital and the way in which everyone who knew her came together,” said Rabbi Shai A. Held ’94.

A Pforzheimer House resident and history and literature concentrator, Shira was active in the Harvard Hillel community.

She spent countless hours at Hillel going to Shabbat dinners, working as a member of the Leadership Council and spending time with friends.

At Hillel she was known for her kindness, her sincerity and her smile.

“Shira’s one of those fun people who continue to draw me to Hillel,” said Robert K. Silverman ’02.

“I know everyone mentions it, but just seeing her smile—which is just about all of the time, is enough to brighten your day,” he continued. “It really is infectious, even after a long week of little sleep and lots of school work.”

Her self-confidence and outgoing personality endeared her to everyone she met.

“She was deeply comfortable with who she was and she demonstrated a kind of un-self-conscious kindness which is rare,” Held said.

Shira passionately discussed her favorite topics, which included show tunes, novels and Judaism.

“Anyone who ever talked to Shira about Judaism learned of her love for it in a single conversation,” Naamit M. Kurshan ’02 wrote in an e-mail.

“Shira would fight to the point of tears—and often did! She also knew what it meant to be a committed Jew without alienating those who were not observant or who were not Jewish,” Kurshan continued.

Shira was a native of Englewood, N.J. and graduated from Horace Mann High School in Riverdale, N.Y., where she was active in the school’s drama department.

Paul A. Gusmorino ’02, who attended Horace Mann with Shira, said he has fond memories of performing with her in the school’s production of Guys and Dolls. Gusmorino described her as “a very loving person” who brought passion and thoughtfulness to everything she did.

Shira remained involved in drama at Harvard. Her varied interests in theater led her to a number of activites, from performing in plays to designing costumes.

Shira’s work as co-chair of the Hillel Dramatic Society brought two of her greatest loves together. During the fall of 1999, the organization faced a difficult task as they were unable to retain the rights to perform a David Mamet play, and the director of the replacement show quit.

“Throughout this entire ordeal, Shira maintained a constantly positive and hopeful attitude,” wrote Michael A. Kay ’01, Shira’s fellow co-chair of the dramatic society, in an e-mail.

“Working with Shira turned what could have been a very difficult and dispiriting semester of leadership into a fun, positive experience,” he continued. “This is what I have always admired most about Shira—her ability to keep things in perspective, to refuse to give up, and to find positive value in everything.”

A number of projects in memory of Shira are currently underway at Harvard.

Pforzheimer plans to plant a tree and install a commemorative plaque in the House courtyard.

Hillel has launched the Shira Palmer-Sherman Memorial Fund, which will support the arts and drama at Hillel. The memorial fund will also provide money for a menorah which will be lit by the entire Hillel community to celebrate Hanukah and to remember Shira, who died on the first day of the holiday.

“It is very appropriate that we will all try to rekindle some of her light next year on the yahrtzeit [anniversary] of her death,” Kurshan wrote.

“It is ironic that Shira died on the Festival of Lights because with her death so many of us were left in darkness,” she continued. “But hopefully we will be able to light the Menorah in her memory next year.”

Shira is survived by her parents, Joanne Palmer and Andrew Sherman, her sister, Miriam Palmer-Sherman and her beloved Jesse O. Kellerman ’01.

—A version of this article was originally printed in The Crimson on June 7, 2001.