S. Allen Counter Has Died

The director of the Harvard Foundation passed away after a brief illness.

S. Allen Counter has died after a brief illness. Counter was the inaugural and longtime director of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, and was a part-time professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. His speech at the Phi Beta Kappa ceremony in 2015 was covered in this magazine. A brief obituary appears on the Harvard College website.

An example from the magazine’s archives of how his work changed Harvard appears in this article describing how the Harvard Foundation began commissioning oil portraits of minority and female Harvardians for display on campus.
 

 

 

Read more articles by Jonathan Shaw

You might also like

Three Harvard Alumni and a Former Postdoc Named MacArthur Fellows

A labor economist, an organic chemist, a physicist, and a memory researcher were honored with 2026 “genius” grants.

At Harvard’s IOP, Two Views of Diversity Get a Hearing

Professor Cornell William Brooks and Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts hold a lively debate on DEI and Project 2025.

Harvard Graduate Students Union Begins Strike Authorization Vote

Amid contract negotations, two unions are discussing a joint walkout this fall.

Most popular

Lafayette’s Unexpected Gift to George Washington: Pheasants

The two birds will be on display at Harvard this summer.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Explore More From Current Issue

Decorative wrought iron gate framed by leafy branches, captured in sepia tones.

Former Indiana University president Thomas Ehrlich looks back on curriculum, co-education, and other major trends.

Three actors perform on stage, with one actor interacting closely with another, set against abstract backgrounds.

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.

A man in a suit speaks at a podium.

David Battat promotes alumni engagement.