Marque-Luisa Miringoff, a professor of sociology at Vassar College, died on Monday at her home in Poughkeepsie. She was 71.
During her long academic career, Dr. Miringoff introduced thousands of Vassar students to the field of sociology, and developed a range of innovative courses—from the sociology of medicine to the sociology of art and war—to help her students think in new ways about the world around them. Dr. Miringoff also supervised scores of thesis students over the years, many of whom she continued to mentor long after they graduated. She also served as Chair of the Sociology Department and the Director of the Urban Studies Program.
Dr. Miringoff also did extensive social research, much of it carried out with her late husband, Dr. Marc L. Miringoff, a professor of social welfare policy at Fordham University. In 1985, the Miringoffs together with Dr. Sandra Opdycke, founded the Institute for Innovation in Social Policy that tracked the nation’s social progress through the use of “social indicators” that can be used to measure a nation’s social health. One instrument devised by the Institute, the annual Index of Social Health, received wide attention and was featured in numerous scholarly publications. Dr. Miringoff co-authored two books based on this work, one with her husband and the second (after his death) with Dr. Opdycke. She also published a book in 1991, The Social Costs of Genetic Engineering, based on her research during a fellowship at the Hastings Institute, Hastings NY.
Marque was born in the Bronx, attended Walton High School, got her B.A. from SUNY at Albany, her Masters at Rutgers University, and her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago.
She hosted a community seder for her friends and family annually at her and Marc’s home for more than 3 decades. She was a voracious reader, a gardener with a magical green thumb, and a believer in social justice and in politics. She did not let her illness define her in any way. She lived her life fiercely, bravely and with great passion for causes that could make the world better and more equitable for all.
Dr. Miringoff is survived by her father, John Wolfson of Del Ray Beach, Fla.; her brother, David Wolfson of Los Angeles, Ca.; her sister-in-law Audrey Hope; her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Lee and Nancy Miringoff; other relatives, colleagues, friends, and her dogs, Rosie and Teddy.
Marque would have also wanted to thank those who cared for her, her friend, Barbara Carvalho, Rishaun Hazelwood, Judy Kaufman, Kristi Hechler, Sam Chisson, and many skilled and talented medical and palliative care staff from Mount Sinai Medical Center in NYC.
A graveside service will be held at Temple Beth-el Cemetery,
Rte 44, Poughkeepsie, NY on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 1PM. The family will sit shiva at the home of Lee and Nancy Miringoff, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 on Thursday evening, Nov. 8, from 6 – 9PM. Donations can be made in Marque’s memory to: Lola’s Lost and Found Animal Rescue, 350 Hudson Street, Cornwall on Hudson, NY 12520. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wm. G. Miller & Son FH, Inc., 371 Hooker Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. If you wish to send an online condolence please visit our website at www.wmgmillerfuneralhome.com

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