Complete Story
01/05/2026
In Memoriam - Paulette Barsi Brinka
1949-2025
In Memoriam
Paulette Barsi Brinka
1949-2025
It is with sadness that FLARE reports the passing of Inaugural Lifetime Member, Paulette Brinka, on Sunday, December 28th, after a brave fight with cancer. Paulette was an example of the interdisciplinary nature of FLARE and its members, as she had a background as a radio journalist, public official, and professor who brought all of those perspectives to her work on first ladies. She was an active FLARE member who put her journalism skills to work locating articles for the First Ladies in the News section of the website. She also participated in several FLARE programs including one on first ladies on the campaign trail. Paulette referred to First Ladies Studies as her guilty pleasure, a topic she found endlessly compelling. She interviewed Rosalynn Carter and Lucretia Garfield was her favorite first lady. One of her friends from her days as a radio journalist said that Paulette, "lived, breathed, ate, drank, and slept first ladies." In addition to her work as a journalist and public official, she was an associate adjunct professor of communication at Suffolk County Community College and taught at Hofstra University and the Patchogue campus of St. Joseph's University. She held an undergraduate degree from Boston University and a master's from Hofstra University. Paulette loved to write and travel. She is survived by a son and a daughter, two sisters, and one grandchild. Paulette was someone who made everyone feel comfortable and important. As we begin 2026, FLARE honors the memory and accomplishments of Paulette Brinka, and we have planted a tree in her honor. An obituary is found HERE.
