Carolyn L. Rose

Carolyn L. Rose (March 24, 1949 – August 29, 2002) was an American archaeological conservator who worked for the Smithsonian Institution and was one of the first ethnographic conservators in the United States.

Early life and education Carolyn L. Rose (nee Rusch) was born on March 24, 1949, in Pittsburgh and raised in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Career

She earned a degree in art history from Sweet Briar College, and later obtained a master's degree from George Washington University (GWU) in 1976. In 2000, she began her position as a chair woman at the Smithsonian Institution's anthropology department. She created anthropological conservation, a sub-discipline ethnography. and the Washington Conservation Guild.

Awards and honors In 1992, Rose won the Rutherford John Gettens Merit Award for contributions to the American Institute for Conservation. In 1996 and 1998, she received Exceptional Service Awards from the National Museum of Natural History.

In 2001, Rose was awarded SPNHC's President's Award for distinguished service as President of SPNHC.

Rose was awarded the President's Medal at George Washington University.

Death and legacy Carolyn L. Rose died of cancer on August 29, 2002, in Washington, D.C. She is survived by her husband, mother, siblings, daughter, and grandchildren. The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections' highest honor – SPNHC Award – was renamed in Carolyn Rose's honor. In 2025, at the anual SPNHC meeting, the Carolyn L. Rose award was presented to Suzanne Boyer McLaren from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Dr. Hanna M. Szczepanowska dedicated her 2012 textbook, Conservation of Cultural Heritage: Key Principles and Approaches, in memory of Rose.

Publications

Examination and Stabilization of two Bull Mummies (1978) Protein Chemistry for Conservators (1984) Editor Ethical and Practical Considerations in Conserving Ethnographic Museum Objects (~1998) Storage of Natural History Collections: Ideas and Practical Solutions (1992) Preserving Natural Science Collections: Chronicle of Our Environmental Heritage (1993) – Preface