Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard memorializes the life and work of senior lecturer emeritus James D. Livingston. Marquard notes that Livingston and his wife, Dr. Sherry H. Penney, “together left a professional legacy that stretched from Boston to Albany, from academia to private industry, from classrooms to boardrooms.”
Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard memorializes Prof. Emeritus David Gordon Wilson, known for his work in the field of mechanical engineering and for spurring interest in recumbent bicycles. Marquard notes that in addition to designing a recumbent bicycle that set a world speed record, Wilson was “decades ahead of some modern-day political proposals that aim to address climate change.”
Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard memorializes the life of alumna Natalie Adelman Taub, known for her pioneering work in Boston’s construction field. “Why should construction be exclusively a man’s field?” said Taub in 1954, after founding her own firm. “There are many fine women architects, designers, and decorators, so why not women contractors?”
Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard memorializes the life and work of Dana Mead, who chaired the MIT Corporation from 2003 until 2010. Marquard notes Mead was committed to “increasing diversity on the institution’s board,” highlighting how the number of women on the Corporation increased by about 50 percent by the time Mead stepped down.
In an article for The Guardian, Michael Weir remembers Sylvia Weir and spotlights her work at MIT helping to introduce computers into children’s education, in particular educational programs for children with autism and those with disabilities. Weir, who was known for her work in the field of AI, died at the age of 93.
MIT alumnus Kofi Annan, former United Nations secretary general, has died at age 80, the Associated Press reports. Annan, “one of the world’s most celebrated diplomats,” earned a master’s degree from the Sloan School of Management.
Boston Globe reporter John Hilliard writes about the legacy of former UN secretary general and MIT alumnus Kofi Annan, citing reflections Annan offered in his 1997 MIT Commencement Address. “Science and international organizations alike are constructs of reason, engaged in a permanent struggle against the forces of unreason,” said Annan. “Science and international organizations alike speak a universal language and seek universal truths.”
Laney Ruckstuhl of WBUR reports that William Corbett, a former writer-in-residence at MIT, passed away on August 10 at age 75. Corbett, an award-winning poet, is “credited with helping introduce avant-garde poetry to the region's literary scene,” writes Ruckstuhl.
Brian Marquard of The Boston Globe writes about the life of Prof. Morris Halle, who passed away on April 2. Prof. Halle, who helped found MIT’s linguistics program, was “considered one of the field’s most influential scholars,” writes Marquard.
Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard memorializes the life and work of former MIT Professor Martin Rein, who died at age 89. Marquard writes that throughout his career, Rein, “studied and compared welfare programs in the United States and European countries for much of his career, and in later years examined the income sources people draw from in retirement.”
Wall Street Journal reporter James Hagerty memorializes the life and work of MIT alumnus Vanu Bose, a member of the MIT Corporation who founded a company aimed at bringing cellular service to, “underserved areas including Rwanda and dead zones in the mountains of Vermont.” Prof. John Guttag, one of Bose’s thesis advisers, notes that, “Vanu was an incredibly optimistic person.”
New York Times reporter Robert Berkvist memorializes the work of A.R. Gurney, a prolific playwright who taught American literature and humanities as a member of the MIT faculty for 36 years. Berkvist writes that in Gurney’s plays “the conventions of the drawing-room comedy became the framework for social analysis.”
Wall Street Journal reporter James Hagerty writes about the life and legacy of Henri Termeer, a life member of the MIT Corporation known for his work as a pioneering leader in the field of biotechnology.
Xconomy reporter Ben Fidler writes about the life and legacy of Henri Termeer, a life member of the MIT Corporation who died at age 71. Institute Prof. Phillip Sharp explains that Termeer was, “a transformational leader in biotechnology of orphan diseases. Many children now have hope of a healthy life because of his vision and 40 years of creative business leadership.”
Henri Termeer, a life member of the MIT Corporation who was known as one of the founding fathers of the biotech industry, died at age 71, write Robert Weisman and Bryan Marquard for The Boston Globe. Termeer was, “a key leader in the biotech revolution that placed Massachusetts at the nexus of cutting-edge research and development.”