Mildred (Millie) L. Rahn (1951–2024)

New England has lost a treasured folklorist, ethnographer, and all-around wonderful person. Millie Rahn was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, to Herman F. and Clara I. Rahn (née Hauer) on August 5, 1951. She graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (bachelor's degree in American studies) and Memorial University of Newfoundland (master's degree in folklore). She passed away due to cancer on April 9, 2024, in West Friendship, Maryland.Millie was known for her exuberant love of folklore. Her fieldwork, research, writing, and reviews focused on folklife in New England and Maritime Canada, specifically in the realms of local foodways, craft traditions, folk music, and heritage tourism. As a self-employed folklorist, she spearheaded numerous projects and events for cultural organizations, government and economic development agencies, and the tourism and heritage industries. She also used her oral history skills to complete projects for municipalities, universities, and historical societies. Most recently, Millie taught classes for Boston University, Lasell University, and Lasell Village in Newton, Massachusetts.I first met Millie in 1999, after relocating from Georgia to Boston to start a position as folklorist with Mass Cultural Council. Millie had been part of the advisory group that led the search; seven years had gone by at the state arts agency without a folklorist. Soon after arriving, Millie invited me to breakfast at the Talk of the Town Diner in Watertown—her go-to place for welcoming newcomers to the area. Like any folklorist worth their salt, Millie knew her local history, and she had stories to tell. She spoke of notable folklorists and tradition bearers in the area and filled me in on recent developments in public and academic folklore throughout New England, providing historical context, funding allies, regional festivals, and, of course, local foodways lore about bean pot beans, cod, and cranberries. I came to rely on her as a trusted panelist for folk arts apprenticeships and artist fellowships—as did colleagues at the National Endowment for the Arts and at state arts agencies throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic.Millie did extensive fieldwork throughout New England. The “Millie Rahn Fieldwork Collection” contains materials collected during her contract work in Hancock County, Maine, from 1996–2008 and is housed in the Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History at the University of Maine.One could count on Millie for rare bibliographic references, personal narratives about legends in the folk revival world, and dependable editorial expertise—she was my go-to person for copyediting, catching grammatical errors, and offering keen insights. Millie was active in preserving the history of Club 47, a folk music coffeehouse in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was a stalwart fan of the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival. She loved nothing more than hanging backstage in the green room, schmoozing with performers.Mille was a night owl and perennially late to meetings. Those who knew her best knew how much she loved cats. And cats loved her back, including her cat Aurora, who survives her. In the last two weeks of Millie's life, Aurora never left her side.Millie was generous and encouraging to students and recent graduates, helping them gain a foothold in the field of public-sector folklore. Cliff Murphy, now Director of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, recalls how, as a graduate student at Brown University, he benefitted from Millie's support and network. She helped him find work digitizing historic recordings from Club 47 and shared wise advice on how to build a résumé through contract fieldwork. In a tribute to Millie, Cliff recounted: When Elaine Eff and I started the Maryland Traditions Festival in 2011, we hired Millie to curate the foodways program. This was a kind of homecoming for her—she grew up in Maryland, and—as either a grad student or a very young professional—was part of the first team of folklorists that George Carey hired at the Maryland State Arts Council when the Maryland Folklife Program launched in 1974. I believe some of her fieldwork from that time now resides in the Maryland Folklife Collection at UMBC [University of Maryland, Baltimore County]. (American Folklore Society, Publore listserv, May 2024)Millie curated exhibits for many regional folk festivals, including the American Folk Festival in Bangor, Maine; the Boston Cultural Heritage Festival; and the Working Waterfront Festival in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Of special note was her innovative public programming for festivals around the country featuring foodways demonstrations, throw-down cooking contests, and food-themed tours.For nearly three decades, Millie was an integral part of producing the Lowell Folk Festival, a nationally recognized event. She served on the programming committee, managed the folk craft area, and created the foodways stage. This was the context in which I knew Millie best. Because of her work throughout New England, she was incredibly knowledgeable about tradition bearers throughout the region. Millie was in her element curating and moderating the foodways stage, which featured home cooks demonstrating recipes and sharing stories from their respective cultures. She took wonderful, personalized care of the cooks and craft artists who led demonstrations throughout festival weekends. It was a joy working with her.On learning of her passing, former superintendent of Lowell National Historical Park Micheal Creasey noted, “There are not enough Millie's in the field.” Amen to that.

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