Michele La Clergue Aldrich

1942 - 2016

HATFIELD - Michele La Clergue Aldrich of Hatfield, died Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016, at Baystate Hospital after a short illness.

Michele was born Oct. 6, 1942, in Tustin, California, the daughter of Marion and Jean La Clergue. She was educated at Tustin High School, received her bachelor's degree in geology from the University of California at Berkeley, in 1964 where she met her future husband, Mark, whom she married in 1965. She was awarded a National Science Foundation fellowship and received her doctorate in the history of science from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974. In 1989 she was certified by the American Society of Archivists.

First employed as a research assistant at the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Geological Survey from 1965 to 1966, she was then a lecturer in the Smith College History Department in 1969-70. She became assistant editor for the Joseph Henry Papers at the Smithsonian Institution in 1974, and a consultant for the Aaron Burr Papers of the New York Historical Society. Michele was a field worker for the Women's History Sources Survey from 1976 to 1977. She then became project director of the Women in Science Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and later the archivist and director of information services at that institution, all together working at AAAS from 1977 to 1995. She was a visiting fellow at Cornell University, book review editor for the Journal of the History of Science from 1996 to 2003, and from 1998 to 2003, archivist of Otis Elevator Company, and consulting editor for Scientific Publications at the California Academy of Sciences from 1995 to 2016.

Michele wrote New York Natural History Survey, 1836-1845 and co-authored seven other books, along with many dozens of scholarly articles and presentations. She was one of the founders of the Northampton Valley Women's Center. She was a member of the History of Science Society, the History of Earth Sciences Society, the Forum for the History of Geology in America (founding member), the Academy of Certified Archivists, and the New England Archivists. She was also a member of the Organization of American Historians, of INHIGEO (International Commission on the History of the Geological Sciences), a member and fellow of the Geological Society of America, a member and fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. She was a founding member of the History of Geology Forum. She held numerous offices in several of these societies including the chair of the Geological Society of America History of Geology Division, and she twice received honorary awards from that organization, including the prestigious Mary Rabbitt Award for Scholarly Achievements in the History of Geology.

She leaves her husband of 51 years, Mark Aldrich; her sister Marijean Piorkowski of Temecula, California; brothers Richard and Ronald La Clergue of Mountain Home, Idaho, and Lahaina, Hawaii, respectively; along with two nieces and one nephew; and many friends and colleagues.

Michele loved her work as an historian of science and she was particularly active in supporting and promoting women and girls in science. As someone who was partially blind and deaf, she was a tireless advocate for handicapped scientists as well, and she was a generous donor to charities. Michele was devoted to her family and friends, including two cats. She loved to travel, read mystery stories, and was an avid gardener who especially enjoyed roses and loud, red zinnias. She was a bright star to all who passed within her obit.

Calling hours are Tuesday at the Ahearn Funeral Home, Bridge Road, Northampton, from 4 to 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions should be sent to Dakin Humane Society, P.O. Box 6307, Springfield, MA 01101-6307.

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