Obituary
Psychology Professor James Sidanius, Leading Scholar and ‘Renaissance Man,’ Dies at 75
Harvard Psychology and African and African American Studies professor James H. Sidanius died on June 29 at age 75.
Distinguished Harvard Geneticist Richard C. Lewontin ’50, A ‘Fantastic Mentor,’ and ‘Polymath,’ Dies at 92
Richard C. Lewontin ’50, a renowned population geneticist and organismic and evolutionary biology professor at Harvard, died on July 4 at the age of 92. Though he retired in 2003, he remained involved with Harvard until shortly before his death.
Anthropology Professor Ted Bestor Dies at 69
Harvard Anthropology professor Theodore C. “Ted” Bestor died July 1 at the age of 69 after a long battle with cancer.
Former Adams House Master and Astronomy Professor William Liller ’48, ‘Enamored With the Cosmos,’ Dies at 93
Former Harvard Astronomy professor and Adams House Master William Liller ’48 couldn’t take his eyes off the stars.
Renowned Cardiologist and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Bernard Lown Dies at 99
Bernard Lown, whose life’s work spanned from pivotal breakthroughs in medicine to humanitarian efforts against nuclear war that won him the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, died at age 99.
Nina C. de W. Ingrao, ‘Devoted’ and ‘Gracious’ Spanish Instructor for Four Decades at Harvard, Dies at 87
Nina C. de W. Ingrao, who served Harvard for 40 consecutive years between her roles as a Spanish Language preceptor at the College and the Extension School, died at 87 on Feb. 3.
Harvard Law School Professor Wendy B. Jacobs, Who Pursued Environmental Law to ‘Make a Difference,’ Dies at 64
Above all, Goldstein said that Jacobs was a trusted friend who was always willing to spend time with her colleagues, even outside of their clinical work. Jacobs, a professor at Harvard Law School passed away on Feb. 1 after an illness. She was 64.
HMS Professor Alexander Goldfarb, ‘Fantastic Physician’ and ‘Kind-Hearted Person,’ Dies at 57
Alexander Goldfarb — an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School — was found dead on Jan. 18 at the age of 57. He went missing while attempting to summit Pastore Peak in Pakistan.
Richard Cooper, Longtime Harvard Economist and Public Servant, Dies at 86
Richard N. Cooper — who taught international economics at Harvard starting in 1981 and served in four different U.S. presidential administrations — died of lymphoma on Dec. 23 at age 86 at his home in Cambridge.
Harvard Remembers Tommy Raskin, an ‘Extraordinary Young Person’ with a ‘Perfect Heart' And ‘Dazzling Radiant Mind'
Relentlessly passionate about aiding the global poor, Thomas B. “Tommy” Raskin's friends and family said they will remember him as a visionary who displayed an intense commitment to justice and the truth.
Professor Ezra Vogel, ‘A Towering Figure in East Asian Studies’ with a ‘Heart of Gold,’ Dies at 90
Vogel, who served as Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences, Emeritus, and was described by his colleagues as a visionary in East Asian studies, died on Dec. 20 at age 90 of complications from cancer surgery.
Guido Goldman, Co-Founder of Center for European Studies, Dies at 83
In their 30-year collegial relationship, what Professor Charles S. Maier ’60 remembers most about Guido G. Goldman ’59 is his “magic sense of connectivity” — a connectivity that stretched from personal relationships to trans-Atlantic partnerships.
Biology Prof. Lue, Visionary in Life Sciences Pedagogy, Dies at 56
Faculty and administrators from across the University said Lue left an indelible mark wherever he went. He fought relentlessly to ensure that all students could access a high-quality education, whether they were at Harvard or not. He saw no limits to where a Harvard education should — and could — be accessed.
David R. Elliott ’64, Voice of Harvard Radio and Mentor to Generations of Students, Dies at 78
In the middle of Harvard’s 350th anniversary celebrations, Harvard Radio Broadcasting – known by its call name WHRB – had a problem. The station was airing an outdoor concert next to Widener Library when one of its microphones stopped working.
Constance Buchanan, Pioneer of Women’s Studies in Religion, Dies at 73
As the WSRP’s director, Buchanan was tasked with recruiting each year’s scholars, networking to gain faculty support, and procuring funding. That work paid dividends, particularly for the women Buchanan advanced, Gilkes said — including women of color.
‘She Changed the World’: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Landmark Jurist, Dies at 87
As a Harvard Law School student in 1956, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was allegedly asked by the then-Law School dean to justify taking the place of a man in the Class of 1959. She would spend the next sixty-four years breaking gender barriers and making history in the U.S. Supreme Court.
RBG Memorial
A memorial to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Harvard Law School alumna, sprung up at the Law School this week after Ginsburg's death at the age of 87 Friday.
Philanthropist Richard A. Smith, Who Was ‘Deeply Devoted to Harvard,’ Dies at 95
To most at Harvard, Richard A. Smith ’46 is perhaps best known for what former University President Drew G. Faust called his “last gift” to the University: the donation that enabled the redesign and renovation of what is now the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center. But his generosity to Harvard extended well beyond just the edifice that sits as a primary hub for student gatherings.
Crimson President and JFK Library Director Dan H. Fenn Jr. ’44, Who Made and Commemorated History, Dies at 97
Former Crimson president and founding director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Dan H. Fenn Jr. ’44 died earlier this month at the age of 97, leaving behind a legacy of public service fit for the history books he loved.
Economics Professor Emmanuel Farhi, Who Wielded His Intellect for Public Good, Dies at 41
Economics Professor Emmanuel Farhi died unexpectedly on July 23 at the age of 41.
Harvard Undergraduate Clio Griffin ’15 Remembered as 'Unfailingly Curious and Kind'
Clio Griffin ’15, a Harvard undergraduate who held a deep-running passion for justice and a demonstrated commitment to service, died last week after an extended illness.
Photographer John B. Loengard ’56, Whose Eye Saw Things Others' Could Not, Dies at 85
John B. Loengard ’56 was a senior at Harvard College and a photographer for The Crimson when Life magazine approached him to photograph a freighter in Cape Cod in 1956. Thus began his longtime affiliation with the magazine, for which he served as a photographer and later its seventh picture editor.
Alberto Alesina, Prolific Econ. Professor Who ‘Made the Whole Program More Human,’ Dies at 63
Several colleagues agreed that Alberto Alesina’s warmth and humility pervaded the Economics Department at Harvard, where he had been a faculty member since 1988 and served as chair from 2003 to 2006.
Central Barber Shop’s Fred Iannacone Dies at 78
Longtime barber Alfred J. “Fred” Iannacone Jr. — a familiar presence at Cambridge’s Central Barber Shop — died of COVID-19 on April 20 at the age of 78.
Raj R. Marphatia ’81, First Nonwhite Harvard Law Review President and ‘Incredibly Strong Leader,’ Dies at 60
Marphatia — the first person of color to serve as president of the Harvard Law Review, a nationally recognized private funds lawyer, and a longtime partner at Ropes & Gray — died May 8 surrounded by family members at his home in Palo Alto, California, after battling cancer. He was 60 years old.