Professor of Astronomy Robert P. Kirshner '70 and his wife Jayne Loader will be replaced as Quincy House masters by Lee and Deborah J. Gehrke, according to three individuals who have spoken with the couple. The Gehrkes have served as acting masters while Kirshner and Loader were on sabbatical last year.

Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross '71, who will step down at the end of the month, announced the Kirshners’ resignation in an e-mail to Quincy residents Wednesday. The news came as a surprise to many, as the Kirshners sent an e-mail to the house community on June 5 saying that they were "looking forward to next year, fully refreshed and eager to plunge back in to House life."

In the e-mail sent by Gross, the Kirshners were quoted as saying that while they "loved living in Quincy House and working with Harvard's lively undergraduates," that their sabbatical had "reminded us of the simple pleasures of private life and the joy that comes from concentrating on our scientific and creative careers."

Gross, for his part, credited the Kirshners with introducing "a number of student activities" and presiding over the remodeling of much of the house.

The Gehrkes were popular masters of Quincy during their year at the helm. On Thursdays, they instituted "community nights" in which only Quincy students could eat in the dining hall, and bought a pool table for the house lobby.

Two sources who asked not to be named said the Gehrkes would most likely announce their elevation to permanent masters on Friday. Quincy House Committee Co-Chair Megan E. Carey ’08 also said that the Gehrkes would soon be named permanent masters.

With the Gehrkes taking over in Quincy House, the leadership of only one of Harvard's twelve undergraduate houses, Currier, is vacant. Former Deputy Dean of the College Patricia O'Brien and her husband, Harvard Business School professor Joseph L. Badaracco, resigned co-masters this past year.

Both the Kirshners and the Gehrkes did not respond to requests for comment.

—Paras D. Bhayani, Malcom A. Glenn, and Kristina M. Moore contributed to the reporting of this story.