In Memoriam: Elizabeth Miller Rawlins, 1927-2024

Elizabeth Miller Rawlins, a longtime professor of education at Simmons College, passed away on February 3 at the age of 96.

Dr. Rawlins began her career in education as an elementary school teacher at various public and private schools in Massachusetts. In 1967, Dr. Rawlins began teaching at Simmons College in Boston as an instructor of education. In 1979, she was named associate dean of the human services program, a position she held until her retirement in 1992. Throughout her career, she served in leadership positions for various professional organizations including the Salem State College board of trustees, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, the Simmons College Corporation, and the Association of Mental Health.

For her nearly three decades of service to Simmons College, the school honored Dr. Rawlins with the establishment of the Elizabeth B. Rawlins Scholarship Fund and the Elizabeth B. Rawlins ’67GS Endowed Scholarship. She was also honored by Salem State College through the creation of their Elizabeth Rawlins Oratorical Contest.

After her retirement from Simmons College in 1992, Dr. Rawlins continued her service in the education field as a board member for Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and the vice president of the Martha’s Vineyard branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. She was a part of the Cambridge Black Trailblazers project, and her academic accomplishments can be viewed on video at the African American History Museum in Washington, District of Columbia.

Dr. Rawlins graduated from Salem State Teachers College with a bachelor’s degree in education. She received her master’s degree in urban education from Simmons College and her doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.