The Council is sad to announce the death of Kaelyn McGregor on the 21st April 2007.

Kaelyn gained her B.A. at New York University and then worked for a while as an administrator at the Archaeological Institute of America and the Brown University Development Office.

She worked on her Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology (the coinage of Salamis) at University College London.

During her years in London, Kaelyn worked at the British Museum as a research assistant in the Department of Coins and Medals. She managed the day-to-day business of the Royal Numismatic Society as Assistant Secretary (1992-1999) and was invaluable to the Secretaries with whom she worked, especially Virginia Hewitt and Barrie Cook.

With Ute Wartenberg and Martin Price, Kaelyn edited Coin Hoards VIII: Greek Hoards (1994).

In 1999, soon after her return to the USA, aged 36, after completion of her PhD and a week before her formal graduation, Kaelyn was diagnosed with breast cancer and endured many years of initially successful treatment.

In recent years she had returned to Brown University, eventually becoming Director of Administration in the Office of the Vice-President of Research. There, she was responsible for the day-to-day administration and management of the OVPR, where she oversaw research initiatives within the humanities.

However, in 2006 she experienced a serious recurrence and spread of cancer to her lungs and bones. She was able to return home to be with her sister Cheri and her parents for her last few weeks.

Since her original diagnosis and treatment, Kaelyn participated in a great deal of support work for others, particularly in the Young Survivor Coalition and as a member of the organization Thrive provided support, services and education for young women with breast cancer (www.thrivetogether.org).

Although she had put aside her numismatic research after her initial diagnosis, she had returned to it and was working on the preparation of her thesis on the coinage of Salamis in book form for the American Numismatic Society: it is hoped this will still appear.

The Kaelyn McGregor Numismatic Research Fund has been set up in her memory, at The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World at Brown University.

Kaelyn McGregor Numismatic Research Fund

‘As many of you will know, Kaelyn’s first love was numismatics, the study of ancient coins and coinage. She fostered this in her years of doctoral study at University College London, and through her work in the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum and for the Royal Numismatic Society.

To honor Kaelyn and all she has done for Brown University, the ‘Kaelyn McGregor Numismatic Research Fund’ has been established. This fund will provide resources for the analysis and curation of Brown University’s numismatic collections, as well as support for Brown University students who wish to follow in Kaelyn’s footsteps and do research in this very significant field of study.

If you are interested in making a donation, checks should be made out to ‘Brown University’, with a letter or note in the memo line stating that the gift is given ‘In honor of Kaelyn McGregor for the Kaelyn McGregor Numismatic Research Fund’.

Checks can be sent to:
Gift Cashier
Brown University
Box 1877
Providence, RI 02912
USA

Kaelyn’s family will be informed, on a regular basis, of the names of people contributing to this fund in her honor.