Augusta Lynn Bolles

Augusta Lynn Bolles, PhD, passed away in the early hours of February 8, 2026 from heart failure at the age of 76. Born in Passaic, New Jersey on Dec 12, 1949 to Augusta Beebe and George Bolles, Lynn completed her undergraduate studies with an A.B. in English Literature and Anthropology in 1971. She then attended Rutgers University, New Brunswick obtaining her M.A. in Anthropology in 1978 and her PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology in 1981. While at Rutgers, Lynn met her husband of 46 years, James Mackin Walsh.

Lynn’s distinguished academic career is marked by major contributions to Caribbean and Latin American studies, with research centered on women’s labor, employment, tourism, and Black women anthropologists. She is widely regarded as a pioneering figure in the growth and development of women’s studies in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Her career began at Bowdoin College in 1980, before moving her family to Prince George’s County, Maryland in 1989. Rising to the rank of full professor, Lynn later served as the Director of Graduate Studies in what is now called The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Maryland (UMD) and as chair of both the African American Studies department and the Committee on Africa and the Americas for the Office of the Dean of Arts and Humanities.

A supportive and collegial faculty member, Lynn actively engaged in university and professional service and was strongly devoted to mentoring her graduate students as chair and member of numerous dissertation committees. In 2015, she gained Professor Emerita status at UMD while staying very active in her fields of study.

Throughout her career, Lynn published four books as well as six monographs, earning several prestigious awards & honors. Her articles, chapter submissions, and editorial works continue to serve as referential texts in her fields.

Lynn, a Silver Soror, was a deeply committed member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. as well as a long-time member of The Cottagers, Inc., a historic 501(3) non-profit charitable organization formed by African American women homeowners on Martha’s Vineyard, MA. Devoted to service, Lynn gave back to her community throughout her tenure with both of these organizations, serving as chair for various committees and events.

Spending summers with her husband, family, and friends at her home in Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, MA, was one of Lynn’s favorite things. Her pride and joy were her two loving sons, Shane Bolles Walsh and Robeson James Walsh. She will be missed by many, though her loving spirit and endless generosity will endure.