Josephine Fishel Milburn

MILBURN, JOSEPHINE FISHEL, 79, of Hanover, NH, died Saturday, September 8, 2007, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

She was born in 1928 in Lynchburg, Virginia, as the only child of Sol Buxton Fishel and Mary Robinson Fishel. Her early years were spent in Virginia and North Carolina. Later the family would move every few years in connection with her father's work; this led to her attending high school in Wichita, Kansas. Josephine pursued a career in Political Science, obtaining a B.A. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.A. at Louisiana State University and a Ph.D. at Duke University. Following her studies at Duke, she spent a year in Wellington, New Zealand, studying aspects of the New Zealand Labour Party. While in Wellington she married Ronald Milburn; the two had met the previous year at Duke University.

In professional activities, Josephine Milburn held academic positions at Simmons College, Boston, and at the University of Rhode Island; at URI she rose to the rank of Full Professor. In Political Science her special areas of interest were: African political systems (South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana and several other West African countries); the British Commonwealth; New England Political Parties; and Women in Politics. Among her several books are 'British Business and Ghanaian Independence', and 'Governments of the Commonwealth'.

While living in the Northeast, Ms. Milburn resided, at different times, in Brookline, Massachusetts, Providence, Rhode Island, Dorchester, New Hampshire, and Hanover, New Hampshire. She traveled extensively, during various leaves, to do research and/or teaching. Thus, she spent a year at Oxford University, England, another year in New Zealand, time in Australia, a year in Germany, various times in Africa, and a year in Indonesia.

Josephine was a fine singer and a strong swimmer. She also enjoyed hiking, which included many hikes in the New Hampshire hills, two walks over New Zealand's Milford Track and the climbing of Kilimanjaro.

Josephine Milburn is survived by her husband Ron, by their daughter Rosemary and her three children, Sophie, Corrine and Robin, and by their son, Jeffrey and his two children, Lee and Annette.

Those who knew Josephine will remember her for her warm personality and her infectious smile.

Funeral ceremonies were private, involving immediate family.