Activist Florence Boroson dies at 83

Florence Boroson, founder of the Office of the Ombudsman at Stony Brook University and a longtime activist for social justice and feminist causes, died May 20 at the university medical center of cardiac arrhythmia. She was 83.

First hired as a part-time technical library assistant in 1969, Boroson went on to establish the university ombudsman's office in 1989 to help resolve problems and conflicts for thousands of the university's faculty, students and staff. There, she helped make policy and personal recommendations and also became a special assistant to Stony Brook's then-president Jack Marburger.

"She started out in a lowly position, but [rose] to the top," said her husband of 53 years, Louis Boroson of Stony Brook. "She was an amazing person and will surely be missed."

He said she was "known for her diplomatic skills and persistence on her clients' behalf."

Born May 27, 1927, in Brooklyn, Florence Boroson graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in psychology in 1949. She married Louis Boroson, whom she met on a blind date in New York City, on June 22, 1958, and they moved with their family to Stony Brook in 1967.

While working in the library, Boroson led a vigorous campaign to improve the work status of her female colleagues, who were paid $2.50 per hour with no benefits, said Barbara Boroson of Pelham, the younger of her of two children.

The campaign resulted in new contractual provisions for vacation time, sick leave, health care and pensions, as well as a large pay raise for technical assistants, her daughter said.

In the early 1970s, Boroson was named director of personnel at the university library. She also served as the assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences from 1978 through 1990, before becoming a special assistant to Marburger.

Boroson was also a founding member of the university's chapter of the National Organization for Women.

"My mother touched many lives through her activism and commitment to social justice," Barbara Boroson added.

Florence Boroson retired in 1999. For the last 12 years, she was an active member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the university.

Despite her busy schedule outside of her house, Boroson was "a bright light and a vital presence in our lives every day," said her daughter.

"She guided us, cheered us on, and held us up. She was a mother my friends envied. I am so lucky to have had her by my side," Barbara Boroson said. "And she went on to become an extraordinarily devoted and dedicated grandmother. My children have lost one of their very best friends.

"My mother had so much more to give to us all; we had so much more to share with her. We love her, miss her terribly, and are just bereft at her loss," Barbara Boroson said.

Other survivors include a son, Martin Boroson of Totnes, England, and two grandchildren.

A public celebration of her life will be later in the summer. Donations in her memory can be sent to one of these charities: Autism Speaks, the Human Rights Campaign, or Planned Parenthood.