Henry Rosovsky Memorial Service May 31

President Bacow invites the community to remember a Harvard giant.

Memorial Church

Memorial Church, where the service will be held

Photograph by Niko Yaitanes/Harvard Magazine

President Lawrence S. Bacow has invited the Harvard community to remember and celebrate Henry Rosovsky, who died last November.

Rosovsky, JF ’57, Ph.D. ’59, LL.D. ’98, an exemplary Harvard citizen and a towering intellect, was Geyser University Professor and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences emeritus, former acting president, and a past member of the Corporation. In his invitation to the community, President Bacow wrote:

Henry Rosovsky changed each of us as he did Fair Harvard—with clarity, passion, wit, and wisdom. 

Let us gather together for a celebration of his life at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31, in Memorial Church. Reception to follow at the Harvard Faculty Club.

Those who wish to attend can RSVP by emailing opp_events@harvard.edu with the subject line, Remembering Henry Rosovsky. The event will also be live-streamed for those unable to attend in person.

For further information on his life and services, read the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ memorial—presented at the May 2 faculty meeting and composed by President Emeritus Derek C. Bok (whom Rosovsky served as dean); Fletcher University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.; Goelet professor of medieval history Michael McCormick; and Maier professor of political economy Benjamin M. Friedman. In a tribute titled “Henry the Great,” this magazine recognized Rosovsky’s invaluable service and counsel as president of the Harvard Magazine Inc. Board of Directors from 2006 through 2015. He also helped anchor “Governing Harvard,” a 2006 Harvard Magazine roundtable on University governance.

Read more articles by John S. Rosenberg

You might also like

Plans for a Faculty Senate Move Forward

And annual awards for excellence in teaching, advising, mentoring, and scholarship

Harvard Discloses Top Administrator and Investment Manager Compensation

Investment pay drops—top six managers’ earnings total a little more than $25 million

Radcliffe Institute Announces 2025-2026 Fellows

Scholars pursue projects ranging from reducing ethnic violence to searching for an undiscovered super-Earth.

Most popular

Rebecca Henderson: Does Capitalism Need to be Reimagined?

How to reform capitalism to confront climate change and extreme inequality, with economist and McArthur University Professor Rebecca Henderson

The New Gender Gaps

What to do as men and boys fall behind

An Original Magna Carta, Hidden in Plain Sight

A rare original surfaces at Harvard at an “almost providential” moment. 

Explore More From Current Issue

Addressing Gaps in Care for Patients with Disabilities

Lisa Iezzoni explores the unmet needs of patients with disabilities.

The Sum of Our Choices

On the limitations of a prevailing worldview

The Trump Administration's Impact on Higher Education

Unprecedented federal actions against research funding, diversity, speech, and more