In keeping with the residential look and feel of the neighborhood, the new NEADS Breeding Center will feature a garden and a front porch commemorating Alan Harris, thanks to a generous gift made by his wife, Diane Lebel.

Alan, a lifelong lover of dogs, had embraced NEADS’ mission. After his sudden death in 2020, Diane sought a distinctive way to honor his memory.

“I believe he found NEADS by cycling past it,” Diane says with a laugh. “He knew every back road in Worcester County.” The retired allergist divided his time between the couple’s homes in West Boylston, Mass., and Tucson, Arizona. An avid cyclist, passionate outdoorsman, and craft beer aficionado, Alan always had a dog by his side.

We are both honored and grateful to steward Alan’s legacy. Thank you, Diane, for establishing a permanent testimony to Alan’s spirit here at NEADS.

If you’d like information on how you can honor a loved one through a gift to NEADS, please contact Cathy Zemaitis.