Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) community members recently gathered to honor former YCSC Director of Finance and Administration Karen Muth, who passed away in October 2020. Muth’s family, friends, and colleagues created “Karen’s Korner” at the center’s George Street location as a tribute to her life, and the special space for children and families was formally dedicated in her honor on Friday, May 6, 2022.
Before her retirement in 2014, Muth was known to work long hours to support the work of the center, always keeping the experiences of families in mind. Intended as a safe haven for children to enjoy books in a comfortable and welcoming area, Karen’s Korner includes rocking chairs and a bookshelf containing a variety children’s books, some of which Muth donated to the center herself.
“Karen lived life to the fullest, and when she learned that her cancer had returned, she planned for retirement while also embracing the future. She traveled, baked, spent time with friends and family, marched in Washington, stood up for social justice, and more,” wrote YCSC Chair Linda Mayes, MD in an invitation to the dedication.
This special space signifies and honors the type of moments Karen always tried to encourage for children and families, in a welcoming, safe, and caring place.
YCSC Chair Linda Mayes, MD
Donations toward this space and additional books with special book plates designed around Karen’s love of birds and reading can be made through a YSM dedicated fund link. To donate and add tribute information, enter “Child Study Center” in the search field, select the Child Study Center link that appears, and enter gift details including a note that the donation is for Karen’s Korner.
“This special space signifies and honors the type of moments Karen always tried to encourage for children and families, in a welcoming, safe, and caring place,” Mayes said. The reading corner includes a birdhouse made by Karen and her husband Gene, as well as a plaque dedicating the space in honor of Karen, a respected and devoted YCSC leader.