For more than 40 years, Dr. LaGrand worked as a certified grief counselor and led workshops around the world to help people cope with the loss of a loved one. He was a member of the grief support team for the TWA disaster off Long Island in 1996. He graduated from the State University of New York at Cortland where he was a standout basketball player. Dr. LaGrand also held advanced degrees from Columbia University, Notre Dame and Florida State University. He was a highly regarded and much sought-after international speaker, giving lectures at companies, schools, hospices and health agencies.