Passing of Brian O'connell, '71 - A Worcester Icon....
Oct 19, 2019 6:41:28 GMT -5
A Clock Tower Purple and mm67 like this
Post by HCFC45 on Oct 19, 2019 6:41:28 GMT -5
Brian was one of the kindest, most knowledgeable, friendliest persons I have ever known. This is such a big loss! May he rest in peace!
School Committee member Brian O’Connell mourned: ‘The example of dignity and integrity’
By Scott O’Connell
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Oct 18, 2019 at 9:54 AM
Updated Oct 19, 2019 at 7:09 AM
WORCESTER – Brian O’Connell, a towering figure in Worcester education politics who had served on the city’s School Committee for the last 36 years, passed away early Friday morning, according to colleagues. He was 70.
First elected to the School Committee in 1983, O’Connell, who worked by day as an attorney and then a school administrator, was a mainstay on the committee ever since. He was hoping to serve his 19th term next year, as one of the incumbents running in this fall’s School Committee election.
Friends and fellow committee members on Friday marveled not only at that record of service, but also O’Connell’s intelligence, humor and passion for education.
“Brian was the example of dignity and integrity – a brilliant, kind person,” said Dianna Biancheria, who has served with O’Connell on the School Committee the last 10 years. “He was the ‘chairman of the board’ – he will leave a legacy for many, many years.”
“We won’t see the likes of him again,” said Jack Foley, another longtime School Committee member who recalled working with O’Connell as far back as the early ’90s on local education issues. He fondly recalled his colleague’s meticulous approach to school policy, as well as O’Connell’s willingness to poke fun at his own habit of introducing a litany of items for each committee meeting – the “O’Connell zone” of each agenda, Foley joked.
Foley and others who knew O’Connell were stunned by his sudden passing. John Monfredo, another friend and fellow member on the School Committee, said he had been unable to reach O’Connell on Monday at the Montrose School, an all-girls school in Medfield where he worked as the business manager, and became concerned when O’Connell also didn’t show up to Thursday night’s committee meeting and wasn’t responding to his texts.
After the meeting, he said Worcester Superintendent Maureen Binienda drove to O’Connell’s Providence Street home and called police for a well-being check when no one answered the door. O’Connell was found inside, alive, but had apparently suffered a medical event that had left him immobilized, according to Monfredo.
Although paramedics took him to the hospital, O’Connell passed away later that night, Monfredo said.
“He’s going to be missed,” Monfredo said, adding that O’Connell, who didn’t have any immediate family in the area, had become good friends with him over the years. “He was such an icon in Worcester. He was probably the most intelligent individual I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with, but he never flaunted it.”
On the contrary, colleagues remembered O’Connell as someone who went out of his way to be approachable and helpful. He was always friendly, even in disagreement, they said, always ready with an eager smile and “how are you doing” with his familiar inflection.
“Brian O’Connell was a man that always had a kind word to say,” said School Committee member Molly McCullough. “He was a true gentleman. I will miss his quirky humor, his collegial support and his insightfulness.”
O’Connell was “always prepared and polite, always thorough and thoughtful,” Mayor Joseph Petty, chairman of the School Committee said. “Brian was not just a colleague, but a friend and his talents will be missed.”
He was also a Worcester lifer; he grew up in the city, specifically at Worcester Academy where his parents worked, and graduated from the College of the Holy Cross. After graduating from Harvard University Law School, he initially worked as an attorney before transitioning to school finance work around 20 years ago. He had just started his latest job at the Montrose School over the summer; previously he was the business manager for the Haverhill schools.
A 1967 graduate of Worcester Academy, he grew up on the hilltop campus, where his father, Andrew O’Connell, taught science. Through the years, he has remained actively connected to Worcester Academy as a friend, supporter, and loyal alumnus, Worcester Academy said in a statement released Friday. A member of the Worcester Academy Board of Trustees, he was the board’s longstanding secretary and its longest serving member, having joined in 1976.
In May, Mr. O’Connell was inducted into the Worcester Academy Hall of Fame.
“Brian and his family embodied the true spirit of ‘Achieving the Honorable,’ our school motto,” Worcester Academy’s Board of Trustees President James Pietro was quoted as saying in a press release. “His long history and dedication to Worcester Academy were second to none. His passing is a great loss to our community.”
Worcester Academy Head of School Ron Cino was also effusive in his praise for Mr. O’Connell.
“Brian was among the most selfless and generous people that I have ever met,” Mr. Cino said. “Anyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know him had a friend for life. That was certainly true for Worcester Academy, and that was true for the city of Worcester as well. As an alumnus, there were few who loved Worcester Academy so well as Brian did.”
Former Worcester Academy President of the Board of Trustees Henry Dormitzer gave warm praise in remembrance of Mr. O’Connell.
“Losing Brian is shocking, just shocking,” Mr. Dormitzer was quoted as saying in the school’s statement. “What a kind and thoughtful person he was.”
In addition to being the longest-serving member on the Worcester School Committee, he was also one of the most popular politicians in the city, routinely finishing as the highest vote-getter in committee elections the last several decades. He used that platform to boost the political careers of others as well; several current elected officials in Worcester credited him with encouraging them to run for office.
“He was a loyal and caring friend to so many,” said City Councilor Kate Toomey, who previously served with O’Connell on the School Committee. “Personally, Brian was the reason I am in public office, as he convinced me my voice as an active parent was needed.”
He was also a prominent education leader at the state level as a member of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, serving as president of that organization in 1998. In particular, MASC recalled O’Connell’s advocacy efforts in the passage and implementation of the state’s landmark 1993 Education Reform Act.
“Brian was a champion of reform to benefit all students regardless of zip code and a passionate advocate for bilingual students and students at risk,” the association said in a statement Friday.
At the local level, O’Connell was known for his eloquent speaking style and detailed attention to school policy, as well as his ubiquity around the city. Monfredo, when he was principal of Belmont Street Community School, remembered how O’Connell would often show up to read to children – “he was always there, always willing to do anything he could possibly do for you.”
Binienda, who considered O’Connell to be a mentor to her as her career progressed in the Worcester schools, said he was also an irreplaceable memory bank on all thing education – “You could ask him if the School Committee had ever done this, and he’d be able to tell you – he remembered everything.”
“We’ve lost of a lot of institutional memory,” she said.
The city has also lost one of its greatest champions, Binienda added – “Worcester was everything to him,” she said. “He was such a role model for the students, as well as other leaders in the community.”
The superintendent, who had the schools’ flags lowered to half-mast on Friday, said O’Connell’s family and close friends are working on funeral details.
Steven H. Foskett Jr. of the Telegram & Gazette Staff contributed to this report.
Scott O’Connell can be reached at Scott.O’Connell@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @scottoconnelltg
School Committee member Brian O’Connell mourned: ‘The example of dignity and integrity’
By Scott O’Connell
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Oct 18, 2019 at 9:54 AM
Updated Oct 19, 2019 at 7:09 AM
WORCESTER – Brian O’Connell, a towering figure in Worcester education politics who had served on the city’s School Committee for the last 36 years, passed away early Friday morning, according to colleagues. He was 70.
First elected to the School Committee in 1983, O’Connell, who worked by day as an attorney and then a school administrator, was a mainstay on the committee ever since. He was hoping to serve his 19th term next year, as one of the incumbents running in this fall’s School Committee election.
Friends and fellow committee members on Friday marveled not only at that record of service, but also O’Connell’s intelligence, humor and passion for education.
“Brian was the example of dignity and integrity – a brilliant, kind person,” said Dianna Biancheria, who has served with O’Connell on the School Committee the last 10 years. “He was the ‘chairman of the board’ – he will leave a legacy for many, many years.”
“We won’t see the likes of him again,” said Jack Foley, another longtime School Committee member who recalled working with O’Connell as far back as the early ’90s on local education issues. He fondly recalled his colleague’s meticulous approach to school policy, as well as O’Connell’s willingness to poke fun at his own habit of introducing a litany of items for each committee meeting – the “O’Connell zone” of each agenda, Foley joked.
Foley and others who knew O’Connell were stunned by his sudden passing. John Monfredo, another friend and fellow member on the School Committee, said he had been unable to reach O’Connell on Monday at the Montrose School, an all-girls school in Medfield where he worked as the business manager, and became concerned when O’Connell also didn’t show up to Thursday night’s committee meeting and wasn’t responding to his texts.
After the meeting, he said Worcester Superintendent Maureen Binienda drove to O’Connell’s Providence Street home and called police for a well-being check when no one answered the door. O’Connell was found inside, alive, but had apparently suffered a medical event that had left him immobilized, according to Monfredo.
Although paramedics took him to the hospital, O’Connell passed away later that night, Monfredo said.
“He’s going to be missed,” Monfredo said, adding that O’Connell, who didn’t have any immediate family in the area, had become good friends with him over the years. “He was such an icon in Worcester. He was probably the most intelligent individual I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with, but he never flaunted it.”
On the contrary, colleagues remembered O’Connell as someone who went out of his way to be approachable and helpful. He was always friendly, even in disagreement, they said, always ready with an eager smile and “how are you doing” with his familiar inflection.
“Brian O’Connell was a man that always had a kind word to say,” said School Committee member Molly McCullough. “He was a true gentleman. I will miss his quirky humor, his collegial support and his insightfulness.”
O’Connell was “always prepared and polite, always thorough and thoughtful,” Mayor Joseph Petty, chairman of the School Committee said. “Brian was not just a colleague, but a friend and his talents will be missed.”
He was also a Worcester lifer; he grew up in the city, specifically at Worcester Academy where his parents worked, and graduated from the College of the Holy Cross. After graduating from Harvard University Law School, he initially worked as an attorney before transitioning to school finance work around 20 years ago. He had just started his latest job at the Montrose School over the summer; previously he was the business manager for the Haverhill schools.
A 1967 graduate of Worcester Academy, he grew up on the hilltop campus, where his father, Andrew O’Connell, taught science. Through the years, he has remained actively connected to Worcester Academy as a friend, supporter, and loyal alumnus, Worcester Academy said in a statement released Friday. A member of the Worcester Academy Board of Trustees, he was the board’s longstanding secretary and its longest serving member, having joined in 1976.
In May, Mr. O’Connell was inducted into the Worcester Academy Hall of Fame.
“Brian and his family embodied the true spirit of ‘Achieving the Honorable,’ our school motto,” Worcester Academy’s Board of Trustees President James Pietro was quoted as saying in a press release. “His long history and dedication to Worcester Academy were second to none. His passing is a great loss to our community.”
Worcester Academy Head of School Ron Cino was also effusive in his praise for Mr. O’Connell.
“Brian was among the most selfless and generous people that I have ever met,” Mr. Cino said. “Anyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know him had a friend for life. That was certainly true for Worcester Academy, and that was true for the city of Worcester as well. As an alumnus, there were few who loved Worcester Academy so well as Brian did.”
Former Worcester Academy President of the Board of Trustees Henry Dormitzer gave warm praise in remembrance of Mr. O’Connell.
“Losing Brian is shocking, just shocking,” Mr. Dormitzer was quoted as saying in the school’s statement. “What a kind and thoughtful person he was.”
In addition to being the longest-serving member on the Worcester School Committee, he was also one of the most popular politicians in the city, routinely finishing as the highest vote-getter in committee elections the last several decades. He used that platform to boost the political careers of others as well; several current elected officials in Worcester credited him with encouraging them to run for office.
“He was a loyal and caring friend to so many,” said City Councilor Kate Toomey, who previously served with O’Connell on the School Committee. “Personally, Brian was the reason I am in public office, as he convinced me my voice as an active parent was needed.”
He was also a prominent education leader at the state level as a member of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, serving as president of that organization in 1998. In particular, MASC recalled O’Connell’s advocacy efforts in the passage and implementation of the state’s landmark 1993 Education Reform Act.
“Brian was a champion of reform to benefit all students regardless of zip code and a passionate advocate for bilingual students and students at risk,” the association said in a statement Friday.
At the local level, O’Connell was known for his eloquent speaking style and detailed attention to school policy, as well as his ubiquity around the city. Monfredo, when he was principal of Belmont Street Community School, remembered how O’Connell would often show up to read to children – “he was always there, always willing to do anything he could possibly do for you.”
Binienda, who considered O’Connell to be a mentor to her as her career progressed in the Worcester schools, said he was also an irreplaceable memory bank on all thing education – “You could ask him if the School Committee had ever done this, and he’d be able to tell you – he remembered everything.”
“We’ve lost of a lot of institutional memory,” she said.
The city has also lost one of its greatest champions, Binienda added – “Worcester was everything to him,” she said. “He was such a role model for the students, as well as other leaders in the community.”
The superintendent, who had the schools’ flags lowered to half-mast on Friday, said O’Connell’s family and close friends are working on funeral details.
Steven H. Foskett Jr. of the Telegram & Gazette Staff contributed to this report.
Scott O’Connell can be reached at Scott.O’Connell@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @scottoconnelltg
