Virginia Rorschach

1929 - 2020

Virginia P. Rorschach
1929--2020
Virginia Purdy Rorschach
July 26, 1929—February 16, 2020
Virginia P. Rorschach passed away on February 16, 2020, at her residence at Brazos Towers, Houston. She was born on July 26, 1929 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the only child of James and Sedalia Purdy. She attended Stephens College and received her BA from the University of Tulsa. She married Harold E. "Bud" Rorschach of Tulsa in 1951 and accompanied him to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was completing his Ph.D. in Physics at MIT. In 1952 they moved to Houston, upon his appointment to the faculty of Rice University.
Ginny resided in Houston until her death. She devoted herself to her family and to Rice University, where she participated enthusiastically in numerous activities including the Society of Rice University Women and the Baker Institute. She also had a keen interest in art and served as a docent at the Contemporary Arts Museum in its early days. She supported many organizations in the community, including Meals on Wheels, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Menil Collection, the Rice University Art Gallery, and the Christian Community Services Center. Upon her husband's untimely death in 1993, she established the Harold E. Rorschach Lecture series in the Physics Department at Rice University, and later the Dr. Harold E. Rorschach, Jr. Endowed Undergraduate Research Award in Physics Scholarship.
She is survived by her two daughters Kimerly Rorschach Hart (John Hart) and Kelly Rorschach, grandchildren Anne Fulton Hart, Emma Rorschach Hart, Benjamin Harold Rorschach Bliss, Samuel David Rorschach Bliss, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Ginny's life will be held at the Rice University Faculty Club on March 7, 2020 at 4pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your favorite charity.