Obituary of Maeda Jurkowitz Galinsky

Maeda Galinsky, age 84, passed peacefully on September 9, 2019. She was a loving and devoted wife, a supportive mother, grandmother, sister, and an inspiring colleague, mentor, and friend.

She was a scholar and a teacher, but also a woman with many hobbies.  She imparted her love of the arts, long beach walks looking for shells, and nature to her children. Although not an artist, Maeda was endlessly creative. Her signature outlet was making shell magnets, with each shell individually discovered at the beach; she called them Maeda’s Art of the Sea. She was an avid reader and enjoyed thinking deeply and critically about the world. She inspired everyone with her righteous belief in the need for justice, the benefits of diversity, and the humanity in all people. She was particularly invested in her students, serving as both their advocate and cheerleader. Her quick wit and wise perspective made her an important mentor and confidant to many.

Maeda was born in College Point in Queens, New York on December 12, 1934. She received here BA from Radcliffe College (part of Harvard College) and her MSW and PhD in Social Work from the University of Michigan. She began her career as an assistant professor at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1965, where she taught for 50 years, retiring in 2015.

Known as the “Grand Dame of the School of Social Work”, Maeda had a tremendous impact on the academic community, both within the university and her profession. She was a prolific researcher and collaborator and was known as a pioneer scholar for her work on groups and intervention research. Galinsky was the longest-serving member of the School’s faculty and even after her retirement, she continued to mentor students, collaborate on research projects, and be an active participant in the university community. She published her final paper, an intervention to develop the social information processing of children, in 2016 at the age of 81!

She is survived by her three children: Dana Galinsky-Malaguti and her husband Raymond Malaguti and their children Joshua and Alexis of Chapel Hill, NC; Michael Galinsky and his wife Suki Hawley and their daughters Fiona and Harper of Chapel Hill, NC: and Adam Galinsky and his wife Jenn and their two sons Asher and Aden of New York, NY; her sisters-in-law, Rayma Greenberg of Los Angeles, CA and Marianne Alexander of Worthington, OH, her aunt, Bernice Berman of Bayside, NY; and many cousins, nephews and nieces and numerous friends.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Maeda and David Galinsky Scholarship Fund, UNC School of Social Work, 325 Pittsboro St., CB#3550, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.

The Galinsky family is under the care of Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill.  Please express your online condolence by using the tab below.