Before the accolades. Before the algorithms. Before the nickname “Doctor Queue” became shorthand for one of MIT’s most brilliant minds—there was love.
Love that anchored a life of intellect. Love that walked beside it, challenged it, softened it, and gave it meaning beyond equations. Love that lingered long after goodbye, echoing in the quiet moments of memory, and in the sound of a golden retriever’s paws padding along a Massachusetts trail.
For Richard Larson, Professor at MIT and one of the most influential operations researchers of the modern age, love wasn’t a distraction from his life’s work. It was the work. It showed up in how he built systems that respected human time, how he designed learning environments that invited every student in, and how he cared—truly cared—about the impact of his ideas.
The story of Richard Larson is not just about solving queues or modernizing emergency systems or rethinking global education. It’s also the story of Mary Elizabeth Murray, his wife and partner in purpose for over four decades, and of Maisie, the golden retriever who became a source of solace in the shadow of loss.
It’s a story of waiting—not passively, but purposefully. Of choosing love as a design principle. Of knowing that the best systems are not only efficient but also humane.
In an era that moves fast and forgets faster, Richard Larson offers something rare: a life built to last—not just in code or classrooms, but in hearts.
Let’s uncover the story behind the scholar known as Doctor Queue and the personal passions that fueled his remarkable legacy!
From Electrical Circuits to Emergency Cities
Born in Bayside, Queens in 1943 and raised in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, and North Plainfield, New Jersey, Richard’s academic trajectory began at MIT, where he earned his BS (1965), SM (1967), and PhD (1969) in electrical engineering. While others were decoding hardware, Richard Larson was fascinated by how systems responded to stress, delay, and unpredictability—themes that would become lifelong preoccupations.
His career lifted during a pivotal project with the RAND Corporation in the 1960s. Charged with modeling the dispatch systems of New York City’s emergency services, Richard Larson developed simulations that helped optimize ambulance, fire, and police response across complex urban grids. These were not abstract exercises. They saved lives. This work later formed the basis of his doctoral thesis and established him as a force in the emerging field of urban operations research.
By the early 1970s, Richard Larson’s contributions had already earned him the prestigious Frederick W. Lanchester Prize. Decades later, he would be elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1993, recognized for bringing OR principles to real-world, human-centric systems.
Queueing with Compassion
Though queueing theory might sound arcane, Richard Larson’s insights made it intimately relatable. His studies revealed that people don’t just hate waiting—they hate uncertainty, invisibility, and injustice while waiting. Through empirical research and applied models, he proved that transparency and perceived fairness often trump speed when it comes to public satisfaction.
From healthcare facilities to Disney parks, his work revolutionized the psychology and engineering of waiting. He became known affectionately as “Doctor Queue,” a title cemented by media appearances on platforms like NPR, where he decoded one of life’s universal annoyances with both rigor and humor.
Yet, Richard Larson’s fascination with queues was never about cold calculation. It reflected his larger ethos: systems should serve people, not the other way around.
From Ivory Towers to Global Classrooms
In the mid-1990s, Richard Larson shifted gears. Already a titan in systems modeling, he began addressing another passion: education. Appointed Director of MIT’s Center for Advanced Educational Services (CAES), he steered MIT into the realm of distance learning at a time when the concept was still nascent.
This evolution culminated in two of Richard’s most enduring contributions to global education: the MIT BLOSSOMS initiative and the Learning International Networks Consortium (LINC). Both platforms merged his two passions—system optimization and equitable access to knowledge.
BLOSSOMS (Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies) provides free video lessons created in collaboration with educators worldwide. What makes BLOSSOMS unique is its structure: lessons are punctuated with pauses to stimulate classroom discussion and hands-on activity, reinforcing the principle that education is as much about interaction as it is about information.
LINC, founded in 2002, became a global think tank for educators, technologists, and policymakers. Under Richard’s stewardship, it grew into a consortium spanning over 25 countries, exploring how to deploy technology in ways that uplift rather than homogenize.
Love as Legacy: The Indelible Imprint of Mary Elizabeth Murray
While Richard Larson built a global professional presence, his emotional grounding came from Mary Elizabeth “Liz” Murray—his wife, collaborator, and constant companion from their marriage in 1979 until her passing in 2022.
Liz wasn’t merely a supportive spouse. She was integral to the vision and execution of BLOSSOMS, serving as its Program Manager. Together, they traveled the world, speaking at conferences, building international partnerships, and ensuring that each educational product reflected both scientific quality and cultural sensitivity.
Liz’s influence was wide and profound. Her warmth and emotional intelligence balanced Richard’s analytical rigor, making her a vital presence in boardrooms and field sites alike. Her loss was a seismic event for Richard Larson, but also for the many who viewed the couple as a unified force for good.
Her spirit endures not only in the programs she helped build but in the values she championed: humility, inclusion, and the irreplaceable role of the human touch.
Maisie: A Pawprint of Continuity and Healing
In the wake of Liz’s passing in 2022, the house felt different. The silence, once filled with the cadence of shared conversation and the quiet murmur of companionship, became sharper. But not entirely empty. Because still moving through the halls, padding softly across the floors and curling up beside Richard Larson during his daily reading, was Maisie—the golden retriever who had, over time, become a quiet witness to the love story of Liz and Richard.
Maisie had entered the Richard Larson household in Liz’s later years, originally as a source of joy and lightness. With her expressive eyes, gentle temperament, and intuitive awareness, she quickly became more than a pet; she became part of the family’s emotional architecture. Liz, who had long held a deep affection for animals, especially golden retrievers, saw in Maisie a source of unconditional presence. And Richard, analytical and measured by nature, found himself captivated by the way Maisie simply understood things that couldn’t be spoken.
After Liz’s death, Maisie remained—a living connection to what was and a source of grounding for what remained. Each morning, Richard Larson and Maisie walk together along the wooded trails near their Massachusetts home. These walks, once a shared ritual between husband and wife, are now a dialogue between memory and motion. Richard often describes Maisie not merely as a companion, but as a kind of emotional co-navigator—intuitive, patient, and steadfast in a way that transcends language.
Maisie also reflects a broader truth about the invisible threads that hold us together in times of grief. Support animals like her play an increasingly recognized role in emotional recovery, especially for those experiencing profound loss. Their presence is non-intrusive yet deeply felt. For Richard Larson, Maisie serves as a form of continuity—a four-legged link between past and present, sorrow and solace.
Her loyalty mirrors the values Richard Larson has championed his entire life: quiet resilience, deep empathy, and an instinct for showing up when it matters most. In Maisie’s steady gaze and silent companionship, Richard Larson has found a form of healing that no algorithm could model and no textbook could capture.
In a world driven by speed, Maisie teaches stillness. In a life shaped by logic, she embodies intuition. And in a legacy measured by systems, she is the heartbeat that reminds us why those systems matter in the first place.
Recognition of a Life Well-Lived
Richard Larson’s scholarly output is immense. He has authored over 175 research articles and six books, addressing domains as varied as energy systems, e-learning, and emergency logistics.
His recognition is equally extensive: founding Fellow of INFORMS (2002), George E. Kimball Medal (2002), INFORMS Presidents Award (2003), and the Daniel Berg Lifetime Achievement Medal (2017). Each award is a marker not just of expertise but of sustained, human-centered impact.
Most recently, in 2025, he was honored as “Most Inspiring Leader of the Year” by the CTODAY Awards—a fitting capstone for a figure whose leadership has always married intellect with inspiration.
The Invisible Multiplier
Richard’s influence isn’t limited to what he’s built; it lives on in the people he’s mentored. Generations of students and junior faculty recall not only his clarity of thought but his willingness to listen, support, and encourage.
From healthcare administrators to policy innovators, many who have passed through his tutelage carry with them Richard Larson’s insistence on purpose-driven work. He teaches that true success is measured not by prestige but by the extent to which one’s work uplifts others.
Navigating the Challenges of Educational Technology
Despite his enthusiasm for tech-enabled education, Richard Larson has always approached it with discernment. He is a vocal critic of passive digital consumption and warns against one-size-fits-all solutions that disregard cultural context or teacher autonomy.
His advocacy of blended learning reflects this nuance: the power of technology lies not in its novelty, but in its ability to enhance human interaction. BLOSSOMS lessons, by design, require teachers to engage, not step aside. They spark dialogue rather than monologue.
This approach reflects Richard Larson’s systems thinking applied to pedagogy: no node functions in isolation, and resilience comes from interconnection.
A Living Legacy
As he enters his ninth decade, Richard Larson remains a dynamic presence in both academic and humanitarian circles. His vision for the future is one in which education adapts to the learner, where systems prioritize dignity, and where even algorithms can carry empathy.
He believes that the best technologies are invisible—seamless tools that empower rather than distract. And he believes that the most important lesson is this: knowledge is not the destination; it is the beginning of shared purpose.
A Promise in Every Pause
Richard Larson may be remembered by titles like Doctor Queue or Professor Emeritus. But those who have walked with him, learned from him, or been touched by his work remember something deeper: a man who turns waiting into understanding, grief into continuity, and knowledge into service.
He teaches us that the pause between events—the space between question and answer, between idea and action—can be sacred. It’s where systems breathe, where empathy flourishes, and where purpose gathers strength.
In Liz, he finds partnership. In Maisie, solace. In his students, legacy. In his work, meaning. He is a rare kind of thinker whose systems will outlast him—and whose heart already has.
His legacy is not only what he solves, but how he makes us feel while solving it.
