Marion Jagolinzer Goldsmith ’43

Marion Jagolinzer Goldsmith ’43, of Greenville, R.I.; Nov. 13. She earned a master’s degree in child development and family relations from the University of Rhode Island in 1971 and became an innovator in childcare programs in the State of Rhode Island. She served in the State House under Gov. John H. Chafee, creating standards for home-based childcare and helping to upgrade licensing for all Rhode Island daycare centers. She was founder, president, and honorary board member of the Mount Hope Day Care Center and headed Project ENABLE (Education and Neighborhood Action for Better Living Environment) of the Urban League of Rhode Island. She was also an adjunct professor and instructor in the psychology and sociology departments at Rhode Island College. Among her many accomplishments were the creation of a family day care education program, including a 10-part TV series (Family Day Care and You) produced locally by WPRI and subsequently used throughout the U.S. and Canada. She served as president of the 50th and 75th reunions of the Brown University Class of 1943. In memory of her deceased daughter Dorothy, she, along with her husband, sister, and extended family, founded—under the auspices of the Tomorrow Fund—a summer day camp for young cancer patients at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Camp Dotty has served children ages 4-7 since 1996. Additionally, she and her sister Lois Jagolinzer Fain ’49, with their father Carl Jagolinzer, established the annual Dorothy and Dr. Carl Jagolinzer Commencement Recital and Concert of Brown University’s Music Department in 1981, in memory of their mother Dorothy, who died in 1945. She was president of the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women and later served as president of the Sarasota-Manatee section. She served on the board of the Brown Alumni Club and the board of the Brandeis University National Women’s Committee, and was involved in Volunteers in Action, Volunteers in Rhode Island Schools, Rhode Island Congress of Parents and Teachers and many other organizations. Her numerous honors include a proclamation by the State of Rhode Island Permanent Advisory Commission on Women for Service to Women in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Association for Home Day Care for outstanding concern and leadership, and the Citizen of the Year Award from the South Providence Tutorial Program. In her later years, she wrote stories about her mother and father and family times together and created a small book full of memories and family history for her children and grandchildren. She was known for her handwritten notes in her inimitable turquoise ink and cards to commemorate all kinds of occasions, her thoughtfulness towards others, and for always being fashionably dressed. She enjoyed bringing people together, cooking, and entertaining, and was famed for her apricot whip pie and chicken paprikash. She is survived by a daughter, a son and daughter-in-law, two granddaughters, and sister Lois Jagolinzer Fain ’49.