Kip Tiernan

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Kip Tiernan founded America’s first homeless shelter for women. She named it Rosie’s Place, believing everyone needs a rose.

Mary Moon Wilson taught my students maternal, Edward Walsh and Michael Kennedy taught us fraternal, and with Ms. Tiernan’s obituary we learned sorority. Her purview, however, was humanity: she also helped found the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and Boston’s Emergency Shelter Commission.

“The lives she saved were untold,” Mayor Tom Menino said.