Michael Grossman, Caption Writer & Production Coordinator

It is with great sorrow that I report the death of Michael Grossman on June 22, 2022. Michael was an integral member of The Caption Center from 1984-2005, serving as both caption writer and production coordinator. His diligence, patience and quiet perfection influenced everyone who worked alongside him, and he set the standard for caption accuracy at WGBH. His responsibilities there allowed him to work with a variety of languages during which he honed a very precise communication style. For anyone who was the recipient of his e-mails, this is abundantly clear—they were memorable masterpieces of communication.

After leaving TCC, Michael joined Widener Library at Harvard to become a cataloger in the Armenian, Georgian, and Perso-Arabic Script Languages of South Asia in the Middle Eastern Division and, later, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Division. During Michael’s time at Harvard, he was instrumental in building the Armenian collection and putting it on a stable foundation— it is now the premier academic research collection in the world, outside of Armenia. Michael also actively pursued the development of the Georgian collection, building upon the legacy and work of Professor Robert Pierpoint Blake (1886-1950).

Michael was also letterpress artist, rower, master gardener and master cook. He was an active member of the Amalgamated Printers’ Association, and a founding member of the Arbalest Press. Michael loved good tea, Balkan folk dancing and cats, and operated always with a dry wit and a wry smile. Although he became a New Englander, he was a Midwesterner at heart and proud of it; especially his membership in the Oberlin College graduating class of 1981. He will be deeply missed and joyfully remembered by all who were fortunate enough to have come into his orbit.

As a celebration of Michael’s life, there will be an open-house gathering on what would have been his 64th birthday, June 3, 2023, at the StoveFactory Gallery, 523 Medford Street, Charlestown, MA 02129 from 1-5 pm. Around 2 pm there will be informal remarks and stories by family and friends, and there will be light refreshments from one of Michael’s favorite restaurants. Various pieces of Michael’s letterpress art will also be on display. If you would like to attend, please send a note to Margaret Grossman at , or contact Geoff Freed at with any questions.