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

The University will compensate families of those whose remains were sold and establish a scholarship to honor anatomical donors.

After a final round of layoffs, University leaders say 165 staff jobs were eliminated across the division.

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026

Most popular

Harvard health benefits 2016

Harvard unveils details of the employee insurance plan for next year.

Father Paul O'Brien leads a thriving Catholic parish in Lawrence, Massachusetts

Paul O’Brien’s tough ministry in Lawrence, Massachusetts

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

Explore More From Current Issue

Three young women posed side by side against red background.

The 2026-2027 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows

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 glowing bulb shape surrounded by colorful, swirling energy lines against a blue background.

Harvard researchers achieve medical breakthroughs in cancer therapy and infection control.