Friends who have known Egashira since his days at Harvard find his commitment to the outdoors and to various activist groups inspiring, but are not surprised by the path he has chosen.
“Leo could have gotten a more traditional job and he did pursue one in Iowa for a while, but he was never that concerned with status or money, so his decision would not have been that surprising even if he had not suffered personal tragedies and even if he were not HIV-positive,” former roommate Andrew R. Kislik ’76 recalls.
Thinking back to their dorm room days, Kislik remembers the playful Egashira’s rendition of a character fondly called “Pajama Man” and his friend’s intense love for gymnastics and geography.
“Of course, all of us have become more serious since we were 22, but Leo is still very funny and personable,” he adds.
Bagwell agrees, noting, “Aside from having a little more hair and perhaps being a bit thinner, Leo hasn’t changed a bit. He still takes off his clothes at the drop of a hat.”
When Bagwell gets his Christmas card from Egashira every year, he knows to expect a photo of Egashira in some exotic place that tooks weeks of hiking to reach. “I have yet to receive one in which he has kept his shirt on,” Bagwell adds.
Kislik observes that the somber side, the part of Egashira that has dealt with HIV and the loss of his lover, has made him more serious at times, but it has also motivated him to take more risks in life—risks that have ultimately proved life affirming.
With the help of some drugs and a miraculously resilient faith, Egashira is living for today and planning for tomorrow. He is currently working on a photo montage and travel article on Greenland.
“Leo is such an example to his friends,” says Huang. “People that go to Harvard are achievement oriented, but he makes sure that day-to-day relationships with people are more important. High profile people obviously have an important place in our society, but there are a lot of people like Leo who are down in the trenches of real life just living day to day.”
—Staff writer Antoinette C. Nwandu can be reached at nwandu@fas.harvard.edu.