Rosemary Joseph, at 54; schools superintendent
Rosemary Joseph, superintendent of Northborough and Southborough public schools, died at Brigham and Women's Hospital yesterday after a short illness. She was 54 and had led the district for less than a year.
Mrs. Joseph, who lived primarily in Worcester, became "suddenly and seriously ill" on Saturday while at her home in West Barnstable, her husband of 34 years, Larry Joseph, said. He would not elaborate on her illness but said "no one thought it was life-threatening."
Word of Mrs. Joseph's death was met with stunned sadness as it filtered through the towns. "It's a complete shock," said Paul Gaffney, chairman of the Southborough School Committee and a member of the regional school committee. "We were all looking forward to working with her for a long time."
"To be honest, I can't quite take it in yet. Having gotten to know her, she's so grounded and very knowledgeable and professional," said Nancy Berglund, chairwoman of the Northborough School Committee. "It's just hard to believe."
Mrs. Joseph, the former superintendent of the Harwich public schools, started the job May 15. She replaced interim superintendent Robert Couture.
In an interview with The Boston Globe last year, Mrs. Joseph said her top achievements in Harwich included advancing training opportunities for teachers and instituting curriculum changes that helped students better prepare for MCAS.
"Harwich was a community like many in the state that felt MCAS reform was fleeting," Mrs. Joseph said.
In 2004, Harwich High School was among the most improved on the statewide tests.
Before coming to Harwich in 2003, she was superintendent of Tantasqua Regional and Union 61 school districts in Western Massachusetts. She received a bachelor's degree from University of Massachusetts at Lowell and a master's in education from Lesley College.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Joseph leaves two children, Leigh and David .
Funeral arrangements have not been completed. 