In Fond Remembrance

Marcia McClintock Folsom

December 18, 1940 - April 16, 2025

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing in April of Marcia McClintock Folsom, our Board Chair since 2007 and Trustee since 1991. She was 84.

The Charles River Museum was founded in 1980 by Marcia’s husband, Mike Folsom. Shortly before the Museum opened to the public in 1988, Mike suffered a stroke and tragically passed away in 1990.

Marcia would accept an invitation to join the Museum’s Board the following year. She served officially as corporate Clerk and notetaker for many years before becoming President and Board Chair. But she was the Museum’s heart and soul throughout her thousands of days of service, no matter what the role.

Marcia Folsom built a long and distinguished career as Professor of Literature and Chair of Humanities and writing at Wheelock College, from which she retired only several years ago. She is celebrated in literary circles as a leading scholar on Jane Austen (whom, Marcia often delightedly noted, was born in 1775 and died in 1817, the very same years as Francis Cabot Lowell). - We’re a little worried looking ahead that our longer-form written communications will read rather more poorly; what will we do without Marcia’s conscientious editing?

It’s not widely known, but Marcia as a scholar and author wasn’t entirely focused on 19th Century literature. In fact, she and her husband co-authored “The MacMillan Book of How Things Work” published in 1987. It’s out of print and expensive today, but you can learn a thing or two about simple machines and systems from the copy you’ll find on a bookshelf in the Learning Corner of our Main Gallery the next time you visit.

We who serve the Charles River Museum as Trustees, Volunteers, and Staff, already miss her dearly. Always so positive and poised, there was never anyone more kind, inquisitive, thoughtful, and respectful. She always made each of us feel valued, appreciated, and supported.

But we are especially moved by her steadfast commitment to her late husband’s legacy, agreeing with him on the value of educating on America’s industrial history, and that the Charles River Museum – their Museum, our Museum, your Museum – was and is an extraordinarily appropriate place to do that meaningful work.

Anyone fortunate and privileged enough to know and to work with Marcia Folsom understands what this Museum meant to her. We can all count our blessings that she understood what this Museum means to our community, and country, and invested that knowledge into decades of heartfelt and effective service.

Godspeed, Marcia.

Rudy Ruggles
Board Chair 

Robert Perry
Executive Director

Marcia’s obituary may be found here: https://www.bellodeafuneralhome.com/obituary/marcia-folsom