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

Harvard will rename the building following a $100 million gift from Stuart Zimmer ’91.

Pritzker Hall, designed for collaboration, should be complete in 2027.

The Goel Center in Allston will open for performances in the fall of 2026.

Most popular

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

The Loneliness Pandemic

As the country isolates, are we all alone?

How Americans Turned Against Knowledge

Tom Nichols dissects the dangerous antipathy to expertise.

Explore More From Current Issue

Two figures stand before a large, colorful pixelated face against a yellow background.

Harvard scientists identify hundreds of genes under selective pressure.

Five individuals are posed in a monochrome outdoor setting near a cinderblock building, some standing, some seated.

Photographer and writer Morgan Smith chronicles life beyond the violence in Ciudad Juárez and other Mexican towns.

An open book with a film strip emerging, trailing popcorn and a dancer silhouette.

Readers Respond to Our Adaptations Survey

We asked people to share their favorite art adaptations. Here’s what they said.