From Carol Lansing
Shona worked for many years in the Archivio di stato di Bologna, and the staff and scholars have much affection for her and feel the loss deeply. We were unable to attend the memorial at I Tatti, so we decided to join together in the square outside the archive at the same time, to celebrate Shona's longstanding presence in the archive. She combined intellectual rigor and discipline with great warmth and a rare manner we could only describe as gentle. We invited Melissa Vise, a young Ph.D. student whom Shona had begun to help, to remember her generosity and continuing influence in the field.
Attending were: Carol Lansing, Sarah Blanshei and her husband Jack, Melissa Hamilton-Vise, Francesca Boris, archivist, Alessandra Servadei, custodial assistant, Silvana Cavicchi, custodial assistant, and Silvia Napoli, custodial assistant. Many other archivisits and assistants, who could not be at the Archives at that hour, have expressed their sorrow at losing a scholar and friend who was so admired.
Carol Lansing, Director of Graduate Studies, History Department, University of California, Santa Barbara
1 Comment → Posted on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 3:13PM Bologna, Research | Email Article
Reader Comments (1)
I was very saddened to hear about Shona's passing. We first met at the RSA conference in Venice in 2010, when Shona introduced herself as a fellow researcher of Bolognese social history. I remember her enthusiasm and genuine interest in my work (seventeenth century Bolognese women artists), and willingness to discuss her own research . She was working on Bolognese professors and their families, and was interested in education in the city in the early modern period, especially of women, on which I had done some work. My last memory of Shona was earlier this year, when she invited me to I Tatti to chat about our latest findings on the material culture of Bolognese households. We passed a lovely afternoon over lunch and a glass of wine, and I felt once again her infectious enthusiasm and good cheer. Little did I know that this would be our last encounter. My thoughts and prayers go out to Shona's family.
Dr Adelina Modesti