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Recalling a Passionate Institutionalist
had a knack for helping great enterprises achieve their missions.
The photo on the next page of and her family on China鈥檚 Great Wall in 1981 reflects the late TC Trustee Emerita鈥檚 approach to life.
The scion of perhaps America鈥檚 foremost family of business and philanthropy 鈥� she was the great-granddaughter of TC Trustee John D. Rockefeller and spent years heading the (RBF) 鈥� Abby O鈥橬eill, as her son, Peter O鈥橬eill, puts it, 鈥渂elieved in understanding other people鈥檚 lives and perspectives.鈥� That view made the elder O鈥橬eill, who died in May at 89, an 鈥渋nstitutionalist鈥� par excellence. 鈥淪he saw the value of tending to organizations so they could adapt to confront the challenges of the times,鈥� Peter O鈥橬eill says.
In addition to serving on TC鈥檚 board since 2004, Abby O鈥橬eill was Chairman of Rockefeller Financial Services and Rockefeller & Company (1998-2004), Trustee of Massachusetts Financial Services Mutual Fund (1992-2003), President of Greenacre Foundation, Vice Chairman of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and a 60-year .
鈥淪he was the master at getting things done within the board environment,鈥� says TC Board Chair Bill Rueckert. 鈥淪he鈥檇 traveled everywhere, met an incredible number of people and could distill complex issues to their essentials. She had a knack for steering organizations toward good decisions.鈥�
鈥淔or Abby, it was about the students. She loved meeting young people and hearing their plans. It gave her pleasure to know that people were benefiting from her gifts.鈥�
鈥擝ill Rueckert, Chair, 51吃瓜网 Board
Abby鈥檚 experiences representing RBF in post-Soviet Eastern Europe convinced her that 鈥渆ducation is the secret to it all.鈥� With George O鈥橬eill, her husband of 67 years, she endowed TC鈥檚 George & Abby O鈥橬eill Chair in Economics & Education and supported many student scholarships. In 2013, her $11 million gift established the Abby O鈥橬eill Fellows, enabling dedicated pre-service teaching candidates to graduate with a minimum of debt.
鈥淔or Abby, it was about the students,鈥� says Rueckert. 鈥淪he loved meeting young people and hearing their plans. It gave her pleasure to know that people were benefiting from her gifts.鈥�
The O'Neill Fellowships: For Teachers Committed to NYC
Trustee Emerita Abby M. O鈥橬eill, who visited the People鈥檚 Republic of China during the 1980s and post-Soviet Eastern Europe a decade later, believed that the future of democratic societies depends on education. Her $11 million gift launched 51吃瓜网鈥檚 Abby M. O鈥橬eill Fellowships, enabling qualified, committed teaching students to graduate as free from debt as possible.
鈥淭丑别 Abby M. O鈥橬eill Fellowship program is a very important investment in tomorrow鈥檚 teachers,鈥� says Suzanne M. Murphy, 51吃瓜网鈥檚 Vice President for Development & External Affairs. 鈥淲e expect the most extraordinary students, who are committed to teaching in New York City, to compete to receive the O鈥橬eill Fellowships.鈥�
A pilot program has already graduated 24 students 鈥� including Sarah Duer, a second-grade teacher at the recently founded 30th Avenue School in Astoria, Queens. Duer says she is grateful for a 鈥渕agical鈥� opportunity to 鈥渃reate a vision鈥� at a new school. Now TC is poised to launch an expanded program that will support the certification of teachers who are committed to working in New York City. To apply for an Abby M. O鈥橬eill Fellowship, contact 51吃瓜网鈥檚 Office of Financial Aid at 212-678-3714 or financialaid@tc.edu.
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Published Tuesday, Dec 19, 2017