Long-time activist Florence Boroson, founder of the Ombuds Office at Stony Brook, died on May 20, 2011, at the age of 83.
Boroson began working at Stony Brook in 1969 as a technical assistant in the library. She led a campaign that resulted in improved benefits and salaries for all the technical assistants. Boroson was named director of personnel at the library, and then became an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. She moved on to become a special assistant to Stony Brook’s president at the time, John H. Marburger III. Boroson was also a founding member of the Stny Brook chapter of the National Organization for Women. In 1985 she received the President’s Award for Excellence.
In 1989 Boroson was asked to establish the first Ombuds Office at the University, which she directed for eight years. She believed in the importance of compromise and reconciliation and was known for her diplomatic skills, perseverance, and ability to guide people through bureaucracy.
Boroson retired in 1997. She was an active member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University.
Boroson’s family request that donations in her memory be sent to Autism Speaks, the Human Rights Campaign, or Planned Parenthood.
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