Obituary of Frances Paulu

Paulu, Frances Brown retired executive director of the Minnesota International Center, whose life was shaped by her passion for global good will, died April 22, 2020, at her home in Minneapolis. She was just two months shy of her 100th birthday. She is survived by three children: Sarah Paulu Boittin (Jean-Francois Boittin) and Nancy Paulu Hyde (Howard Hyde), both of Washington D.C.; Thomas Paulu (Cindy Williams) of Vancouver, Washington; seven grandchildren: Jennifer, Margaret, Nathalie and Isabelle Boittin, Emma and Benjamin Hyde, and Adrienne Paulu; and four great-grand-children: Oliver, Emilia, Gabriel and Lucas. Other survivors include brother Judson Brown of Ellisville, Missouri; two nieces and a nephew and their families. Niece Kathy Brown and caregiver Annette Udean were particularly devoted to her. Husband Burton Paulu predeceased her in 2003.

Paulu was born June 22, 1920, and grew up in Hastings, Minnesota, the daughter of Thomas A. Brown and Florence Tuttle Brown. She became high school valedictorian at the age of 14. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, she worked as office manager of the University radio station. At the station, which later became KUOM, she met Burton Paulu, its manager and later a professor and director of the University's Media Relations Department. They were married for 61 years. During World War II, Paulu was a graduate student in social work at the University and a case worker in welfare agencies.

Following the war, she began a then-traditional career as wife and mother, which included three years of overseas residence with her young family in England and Switzerland. She also embarked upon a career of volunteer activities, serving as president of the Minneapolis League of Women Voters, chair of the Minneapolis Charter Commission and director of the Urban Coalition. She also was active in several other groups and agencies committed to global understanding. In 1970, with her three children in college, Paulu began a new career as executive director of the Minnesota International Center (now Global Minnesota), a non-profit organization committed to promoting international understanding by linking Minnesotans to the world and the world to Minnesotans. She loved her work and had a personalized license plate that read "FBP MIC." During Paulu's 18-year tenure, the Center thrived and gained a national reputation for excellence. Her work with international organizations led to trips to Morocco, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, India, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. When Paulu retired from MIC in 1988, one tribute praised her "combination of knowledge, rapport and quiet competence." Many students who worked for her went on to careers in international relations and remained lifelong friends.

After retiring, Paulu resumed volunteering with such groups as the University of Minnesota Women's Club and the Becketwood Cooperative, where she lived. She spent three months in Moscow with her husband in 1991, after which they presented many talks about their experiences in the USSR before community groups. When she was 94, she gave a speech at an MIC fundraiser. Always a night owl, she stayed up until midnight the night before to perfect it. Well into her late 90s, she went for walks along West River Parkway, particularly enjoying those that took in Minnehaha Falls. She loved reading mystery novels and newspapers. She delighted in the steady stream of visits to Becketwood from friends and family. A memorial service will take place when possible. Memorials can be made to Global Minnesota to support international education and students, c/o 1901 University Av. SE, Mpls, MN 55414