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Bruce Graber, Alumni Association IT expert, dies at 51

Bruce Graber
Caption:
Bruce Graber

Bruce E. Graber II of Cambridge, a senior project manager at the MIT Alumni Association, died of complications from cancer on Feb. 22 at the age of 51.

Graber, who grew up in Maine, is survived by his wife, Giulia (Gheorghiu) Graber; his parents, Michal and Ray Graber of Alfred, Maine; five brothers and sisters; and 13 nieces and nephews.

In 1982, Graber joined the U.S. Navy, earning highest honors in the Naval Nuclear Training Unit and Engineering Laboratory School. During travels with the Navy aboard the nuclear submarine USS Trepang, including a trip to the North Pole, he was responsible for the engineering laboratory division’s performance of chemical analyses and radiological controls.

In 1988, Graber’s nuclear expertise brought him to MIT, where he took a job as safety officer for MIT’s nuclear research reactor. In 2000, he joined the IT department for the MIT Alumni Association, where he managed the programming group responsible for generating reports from the alumni database of record. His most recent position was as ADVANCE senior project manager.

“Bruce hit the ground running when he joined the team in 2000,” says Joe Recchio, the Alumni Association’s director of information systems and services. “Besides his incredible work ethic, Bruce and I often shared our similar political views and love-for-animal stories at 6:00 a.m., when we were the only two in the office. I, and many others, will truly miss him.” 

Graber earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in 1997 at Northeastern University and continued his education as a master’s in liberal arts student at Harvard University, where he studied information technology.

Reflecting his lengthy service to the Institute, Graber will be inducted posthumously as an honorary member of MIT’s Quarter Century Club. He was a member of the American Nuclear Society and the Health Physics Society, and he volunteered at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Boston.

Members of the MIT community are invited to attend a wake on Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the Keefe Funeral Home at 2175 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Donations in Graber’s memory may be made to the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society.

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