Remembering Doris Coster

Doris Coster, a former dean of students and vice president for student affairs at the University of Hartford, died on Oct. 12 at the age of 102. Her work over the years on behalf of children, women, the elderly, the democratic process, and other causes helped define a life that was exceedingly industrious and charitable—a legacy that lives on at the West Hartford campus.

“Doris was passionate about helping people and wanted to make the world a better place,” says Sarah Coster, whose wife is Doris’s granddaughter. ”Though she was a humble woman who didn’t seek recognition, it’s appropriate to share Doris’s legacy at the University, especially as it relates to protecting and advocating for the rights of women.” Those are among Sarah’s own objectives at UHart, where she is currently the assistant director of student equity and community engagement.

Doris Coster’s husband, Douglas, a foreign service officer, died when she was 45, but her loss spurred her to uphold and sustain meaning in her life. That’s when her career in university administration began. Her tenure at UHart was preceded by similar roles at the College of Wooster in Ohio and Bernard College in New York City. She retired from university work at the age of 64 only to embark on another career in public service.

In addition to many other functions, she was the administrator of St. Jude Commons in Norwich, Conn.; volunteered for the East Haddam Historical Society and the Middlesex Institute for Lifelong Education, and served on the board of directors for the Senior Resources Agency. Much of her organizational interest was traced to what she felt was a decisive skill in caregiving shaped during earlier years when she took care of her elderly mother and great-aunt.

When not volunteering or serving on boards, Doris was a master gardener at home and loved to travel abroad—from China to Ireland and beyond.

Born in New York, Coster graduated from Barnard, interned with the National Institute of Public Affairs (where she met her husband), and received a master’s degree in government and public law from Columbia University. During her husband’s foreign service post, they lived in Italy for six years. It was there where Doris began to raise her four children (two girls, two boys), while also helping to establish the International School of Milan.

Doris's family has suggested that those who feel inspired by Doris's devotion to helping children and protecting freedoms should consider making a donation in her name to an appropriate charity of their choice.