Bernard and Henrietta O’Rourke Scholarship Fund

Establishing this fund for the support of post-secondary education for residents of Lincoln demonstrating financial need was not something Henrietta O’Rourke shared broadly. “She was an intensely private person,” says her longtime best friend, Catherine Mignone, who met Mrs. O’Rourke when both were teaching at the Esmond Elementary School in Smithfield.

Born in Lincoln in 1917, Mrs. O’Rourke, a lifelong resident, “knew everyone in town,” continues Mrs. Mignone. “She loved the people, especially her students. She was happy to see them become successful. That means so much when you are a teacher.”

“Quite strict,” according to Mrs. Mignone, Mrs. O’Rourke was also beloved by her pupils and their parents at both the Esmond and the Fairlawn schools. At Mrs. O’Rourke’s funeral service in February 2008, a former student confided to Mrs. Mignone that Mrs. O’Rourke had in fact, inspired him to become a teacher.

Outside of the classroom, Mrs. O’Rourke was a devoted wife, daughter, and sister. “They had a beautiful marriage,” says Mrs. Mignone of Bernie and Henrietta. “Every Friday he would present her with a rose. And she always referred to him as, ‘My Bernie.’” Mrs. Mignone adds with a smile, “He always let her have her own way.” When Bernie died in 1976, Mrs. O’Rourke continued their tradition of renting a beach house every June, first in Jamestown and then in Narragansett, where she enjoyed visits with Catherine Mignone. “She packed everything into her car,” Mrs. Mignone laughs, remembering her well-organized and self-sufficient friend. “Even when she was well into her 80s, she still took everything with her.” And, comfortable in her solitude, she often stayed up well into the night to gaze at a full moon over the water.

Mrs. O’Rourke, true to her independent nature, was quite deliberate in establishing her legacy at the Foundation, according to attorney Stanley Kanter. “Henrietta stated emphatically that she wanted to give children an opportunity through education,” says Mr. Kanter. “She was as clear and confident about her estate plan as she was about everything else in her life.”

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