On August 29, 2002, after a long illness, Carolyn L. Rose passed away in Washington, D.C. She was 53.

Carolyn had a long and distinguished career in conservation. At a recent George Washington University (GWU) ceremony where she was awarded the President's Medal, GWU President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg described her as a "one-woman graduate school," a reference to the fact that she had taught or impacted the lives of many ethnographic and archaeological conservators.

Carolyn's career began in 1971, with a degree in art history from Sweet Briar College, and continued at George Washington University, where she earned her master's degree in 1976. Her involvement with GWU continued through its Museum Studies Program, which she established in association with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, where she became senior research conservator in 1990 and chairman of the Anthropology Department in 2000. She received Exceptional Service Awards from the museum from 1996 to 1998.

The GCI benefited from Carolyn's expertise through her participation in various Institute advisory, planning, and training committees; through her contributions to Conservation; and through her support of Art and Archaeology Technical Abstracts, as both an adviser and a volunteer abstractor.

In keeping with her commitment to the profession, Carolyn was active in numerous organizations and committees. She served as chair of the National Institute for Conservation (now Heritage Preservation) from 1985 to 1989 and as chair of the Membership and Objects Specialty Groups of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). In 1997, AIC awarded Carolyn the University Products Award for distinguished achievement in the field of conservation. Carolyn was also president of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) from 1994 to 1995, and in 2001, she was awarded the SPNHC President's Award for distinguished service.

In addition to teaching, overseeing interns, organizing workshops and conferences, and reviewing grants, Carolyn also contributed to numerous books, conference proceedings, and journals.