Judith and Sean Palfrey. Photo by Marc Halevi.

Judith Palfrey, a professor at Harvard Medical School and the School of Public Health, and her husband John G. "Sean" Palfrey Sr., a professor at Boston University Medical School and School of Public Health, have been named Master and Co-master of Adams House.

The Palfreys, both specialists in pediatrics, will take over from Robert and Jana Kiely, who are retiring from their mastership after 26 years. Robert Kiely is the Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English.

The appointment, which takes effect in July, was announced by Dean of Harvard College Harry R. Lewis on Monday, April 5.

"The Palfreys are two caring individuals who are also at the top of their profession," Lewis said. "Harvard is fortunate to be able to draw faculty from across the University to enhance the residential experience of undergraduates, and I am very pleased that the Palfreys have made this important commitment to the welfare of our students."

The Palfreys, who currently live in Brookline, first met as Harvard undergraduates and are both members of the Class of 1967. Judith Palfrey, the T. Berry Brazelton Professor of Pediatrics at the Medical School and professor of maternal and child health at the School of Public Health, specializes in pediatrics with an eye toward the community.

She has begun several community outreach programs at the Harvard-affiliated Children's Hospital that emphasize early intervention and community support. She has written numerous scholarly papers and books, including Community Child Health: An Action Plan for Today, and has received many awards, including the 1993 Social Justice Award from the Justice Resource Institute.

Palfrey is active in the Episcopal Church and enjoys digging for clams at the Palfreys' house on Cape Cod. She mostly rakes up steamers and quahogs and says chowder made with fresh clams is "absolutely the best."

She also has been active in drama -- mostly in set-building, lighting, and other behind-the-scenes activities -- and hopes to rekindle that passion now that the three Palfrey children are older. The Palfreys' daughter, Katy, will be living at Apthorpe House.

"The opportunity to be with this wonderful group of young people and have a part in the overall life of the University is extremely attractive," Judith Palfrey said.

Sean Palfrey, clinical professor of pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine, is an avid athlete and should log plenty of time on the University tennis courts. He may also be seen paddling his yellow kayak on the Charles River. Sean Palfrey has won numerous teaching awards and has been an advocate for lead poisoning prevention and for medical care delivery to underserved populations in the inner city and in poor, rural areas.

He said the couple is looking forward to becoming a part of the intellectual and artistic community in Adams House.

"There's a richness, intellectually, to the Boston area. Being in Cambridge and being a House Master magnifies that richness in a thousand ways," he said. "There will be many people to learn things from and, hopefully, many people with whom we can share our own knowledge and experiences."

As House Masters, the Palfreys will oversee a community of about 400 students. As Adams House Masters, the Palfreys will live in historic Apthorpe House, built in 1760 and one of the oldest and most architecturally distinguished houses in Cambridge. British General Burgoyne was held prisoner there during the Revolutionary War.

As far as day-to-day life goes, Adams House students will have to get up pretty early to catch the Palfreys. Between teaching and seeing patients, their busy schedules get them up and out the door by 6:45 a.m. Both are confident, however, that they and Katy will have plenty of time to be part of the Adams House community.

Students will see them each evening in the dining hall and maybe even on the soccer field. Judith Palfrey said the couple enjoys games of pickup soccer and hopes to organize regular Sunday games that involve a wide range of ages and talents.

The Palfreys are very involved in community service and plan to ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for Adams House residents to become involved.

"One of the things we hope will bring our interests and House interests together is that we have always been involved in community service," Judith Palfrey said. "I think people can expect us to encourage that kind of activity."

The Palfreys' Harvard roots run deep. One of Sean Palfrey's ancestors was John G. Palfrey, who graduated from Harvard in 1815 and who went on to become dean of the faculty at the Divinity School. Another ancestor is former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, a member of the Harvard Class of 1880. Two of the couple's three children also attended Harvard -- John G. Palfrey Jr. '94, and Quentin A. Palfrey '96. Their daughter Katy is a junior at Phillips Exeter Academy.