In Memoriam: Dr. Karen Wilson (PhD 2011)

We are sad to announce that Karen Wilson (Ph.D. 2011) passed away on August 19, 2024 from cancer. Karen received a Masters degree in Professional Writing from USC in 1978. Many years later, as her interest in Judaism grew, she returned to graduate school, first at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, earning a Masters degree in Judaic Studies in 2003, and then, in 2011, at age 59, a PhD from UCLA in American History, specializing in Jews in the Western United States. After earning her Ph.D., Karen worked in the Department of History- directing the Career Diversity Project for graduate students, teaching  courses in public history and western United States history, and serving as Director of the Public History Initiative before moving from Los Angeles in 2018. Karen also curated the “Jews in the Los Angeles Mosaic” exhibition at the Autry Museum of the American West and edited the volume of the same title (University of California Press, 2013). In Ojai, she tutored at a local school and became active in community politics. Karen was a dedicated member of the department and will be missed.