In Memory of Karen Ellingson Trueheart

‌

RIT mourns the loss of Karen Ellingson

RIT is mourning the loss of Karen Ellingson Trueheart, a longtime friend of the university and member of the RIT family, who lost her courageous battle with cancer on Sunday.

The RIT flag is being flown at half staff today in honor of Mrs. Trueheart. Her husband, Harry P. Trueheart III, and two children survive her.

Mrs. Trueheart was affiliated with RIT on many levels. Her husband is an RIT Trustee and chairman emeritus, Nixon Peabody LLP. Mrs. Trueheart was the daughter of longtime RIT President Mark Ellingson, who served from 1936 to 1969. She was also the granddaughter of John Randall, who served as RIT president from 1922 to 1936. She was a member of RIT’s Women’s Council.

Mrs. Trueheart was also a spiritual counselor and contemplative practice teacher in Rochester. She was founder of Heartprints for Humanity, a public awareness and education project based on psychological, spiritual and Gandhian principles for developing skills for living in a more compassionate, sustainable world.

Mrs. Trueheart served on the faculty of the California Institute for Integral Studies, a graduate school in San Francisco, where she was also director of the Center for Psychological and Spiritual Health. In Rochester, her community service included the Board of United Neighborhood Centers of Greater Rochester, a project of the United Way; The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children; and the Board of Directors of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

A memorial service will be held on the RIT campus on a date to be announced shortly.