A death

Lawrence J. Majewski, 80, former Chairman and Hagop Kevorkian
Professor of the Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New
York University, died of leukemia at his Wappingers Falls home on
December 2, 1999.

Larry Majewski studied Chemistry and biology before entering service
during World War II.  After the war, he turned to studies in art and
completed his B.F.A. and M.F.A. at Yale University.  His dual
interests in art and conservation led him first into paintings
conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1952.  In 1953 he
was recruited to help with the conservation of the Byzantine Mosaics
in Istanbul, which led to his appointment as Deputy Director of the
Byzantine Institute of America in Istanbul, Turkey from 1956-1960.

In 1960 he returned to the United States to join the staff of the
Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University,
the first degree-granting American conservation training program. He
was appointed Chairman in 1966 and actively served as a member of
the faculty until his retirement in 1986.  After 1986 he continued
to teach and advise students in his role as the Hagop Kevorkian
Professor Emeritus of Conservation.

Throughout his career, Professor Majewski provided advice, support,
and service to conservation education, archaeology and heritage
management.  In 1964 he was appointed Chief Conservator of the
archaeological expedition to Sardis for Harvard University.  He kept
that position for 25 years, teaching dozens of students in the
field.  In 1966 he organized and led a group of 17 American
conservators to aid in the rescue effort just  after the devastating
flood in Florence.  He serves as a consultant to a wide variety of
international projects, including the Buddhist Shrine of Borobodur
(Indonesia) in 1973 and the Ajanta Caves (India) in 1975, and was
advisor to numerous projects in Venice and Poland.  He also actively
worked as a member of the ICOM Working Group on Icons and the ICCROM
Group on mosaics, as well as acting as Editor for Art and
Archaeology technical Abstracts for almost two decades.  He was a
Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation for over 30
years and in 1987 was appointed Honorary Fellow of the American
Institute for Conservation, a professional organization he helped to
incorporate in 1971.  In 1993 the first John Langeloth Loeb Award
was conferred on him by the Trustees of the Institute of Fine Arts
in recognition of his devotion to the Conservation Center and its
students. Shortly before his death, he was honored by the
Archaeological Institute of America.

He also found time to contribute to his local community of
Wappingers Falls where he had lived since 1977, as President of the
Fishkill Historical Society.

Survivors include his companion of 37 years, Dewey Owens of
Wappingers Falls, a brother, Andrew Majewski of Plymouth, Iowa, and
several nieces and nephews.

Donations in his memory may be sent to the

    Lawrence J. Majewski Rare Book Fund
    Conservation Center
    Institute of Fine Arts
    NYU, 14 East  78th Street
    New York NY 10021

or

    Hospice of Dutchess County
    70 South Hamilton Street
    Poughkeepsie NY 12601

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:34
                 Distributed: Sunday, December 12, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-13-34-001
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