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Rosemary Grimshaw of architecture dies at 53

Rosemary D. Grimshaw, an assistant professor of architecture and founder of the Cambridge architectural firm Linea 5, died at her Cambridge home on September 15 after a three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). She was 53.

Ms. Grimshaw was principal designer on many housing, commercial and land-planning projects, including the Atlantic Union College Master Plan, the Strategic Land Plan for the Taconic Foundation in Vermont, the Great Pond Bay Resort on St. Croix and the Support and Administration Building for the New York Power Authority. She was a senior member of the Arrowstreet Inc. design team for the Massachusetts Archive on Columbia Point and had recently completed new homes in Boston, New Milford, CT, and Jackson, MS.

Ms. Grimshaw is remembered by her students and colleagues as a rigorous and creative teacher. "Through her teaching, Rosemary opened the path between the students' own world and the real world of practice. She gave that gift to her students," said William L. Porter, former dean of the School of Architecture and Planning.

A 1965 fine-arts graduate of Emmanuel College, Ms. Grimshaw received the M.Arch. from MIT in 1978 and joined the faculty in 1980. Until she was diagnosed with ALS in 1994, she was also associated with the Center for Real Estate. She won several awards for design excellence and was a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Boston Society of Architects. Ms. Grimshaw also served on the board of directors of Smokey House in Vermont, a Taconic Foundation program that trains impoverished citizens in farming and forestry.

Ms. Grimshaw is survived by her mother, Rose (Rodden) Danehy of Weymouth; three brothers, Kevin Danehy of Needham, Sean M. Danehy of Cambridge and Alfred Danehy of Rockland; a sister, Ann McMullan of Jackson, MI, and several nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to The Hospice of Cambridge, 245 Winter St., Waltham, MA 02154 or to Smokey House Center, RFD 292, Danby, VT 05739.

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BOOLOS MEMORIAL

There will be a memorial service on Saturday Oct. 5 at 2pm in the MIT Chapel for Professor George S. Boolos of the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, who died of pancreatic cancer on May 27 at the age of 55. A reception will follow in the Hulsizer Room, Ashdown House. Memorial contributions can be sent to: MIT Treasurer's Office, 238 Main St., Suite 200, Cambridge, MA 02142 (please make check payable to MIT and note that the funds are for the George Boolos Memorial Fellowship Fund).

TAYLOR MEMORIAL

There will be a memorial service at the Westonian Retirement Home on Sunday, Sept. 29 from 1:30-4pm for Charles Fayette (Fay) Taylor Sr., aeronautics professor emeritus, who died on June 22 at the age of 101. The home is located at 135 North Ave. (Route 117), Weston, MA 02193.

WILLIAM T. HIGGINS

A funeral Mass was said in the Church of St. Catherine of Genoa in Somerville on Septemeber 11 for William T. Higgins, 70, of Albion St. in Somerville, who died September 8. He was hired at MIT in 1981 and was a service worker in Physical Plant when he went on long-term disability in 1995.

He leaves six sons: William Jr. of Florida, Daniel F. of New Mexico, John W. of Lowell, Michael P. of Medford, Raymond J. of Somerville and Sean J. of Somerville; a daughter, Elizabeth M. Pellecchia of Somerville; and 10 grandchildren. Mr. Higgins was buried in Mt. Auburn Cemetery.


A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on September 25, 1996.

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