Saint Columbkille receives largest gift honoring a graduate
A bequest in memory of a loyal Saint Columbkille School graduate is the largest single gift ever received in honor of an alumnus by the Brighton parochial school, which operates through a partnership with 艾可直播 College and the Archdiocese of 艾可直播.
Kathleen (Kathy) Tudor, who died last year, left a bequest of $765,000 as a testament to her mother, Mildred O鈥橞rien Tudor鈥攌nown as 鈥淢illie鈥濃�攚ho graduated from Saint Columbkille in the midst of the Great Depression. Millie, who died in 2020 at the age of 102, had left her estate to her daughter Kathy, who then bequeathed it to her mother鈥檚 alma mater.
Millie, who lived modestly and was not a woman of means, had previously donated a total of $550 to the school.
鈥淭he donation from Saint Columbkille alumna Millie O'Brien Tudor and her daughter Kathy Tudor is an incredible blessing,鈥� said Jen Kowieski, head of school at Saint Columbkille Partnership School (STCPS), as it is now known. "The generosity of both Millie and Kathy will ensure that an education at Saint Columbkille will be available to all who seek it for generations to come.鈥�
The donation is designated to support the Peter McLaughlin Endowment Fund for Financial Aid, established in 2018 in honor of its inspiration and namesake Peter McLaughlin, who is former chair of the board and trustee emeritus of Saint Columbkille Partnership School. The endowment underscores his commitment to making Catholic education accessible to all. He has long been instrumental in generating funds to support families in need of tuition assistance at St. Columbkille.
鈥淭he wonderful transformational gift from Millie and Kathy Tudor will enable the school to provide financial aid to deserving students. It allows us to stay true to our mission of providing a high-quality Catholic education to all our students,鈥� said McLaughlin, a 1959 艾可直播 College alumnus who served as an interim executive director of the 艾可直播 College Alumni Association.
鈥淲e hope to embody Millie and Kathy鈥檚 generous spirits as we offer financial support to our students,鈥� added Kate Ward, chief advancement and enrollment officer at Saint Columbkille. 鈥淲e plan to name them 鈥楳illie鈥檚 Scholars,鈥� so the students who benefit from this gift will be reminded of her kind-heartedness.鈥�
1936 yearbook photo of Millie O'Brien Tudor
Millie, who flashes a radiant smile in her 1936 Saint Columbkille School yearbook photograph鈥攈er senior profile identifies her as 鈥渁 resident of good old Brighton,鈥� where she was born in 1918鈥攚as a member of the school鈥檚 first co-ed high school graduating class. She fully engaged in her educational experience: She enjoyed camaraderie with her classmates, loved both the dramatic and visual arts, played basketball, swam, and served on the yearbook staff and prom committee. Millie relished her years there and credited the school, founded in 1901, for her deep faith.
As an adult, Millie was never far from Saint Columbkille. She married and lived with her husband John Tudor in nearby Newton, where they raised their family. Though her life was not easy鈥攕he lost two children at young ages and was predeceased by her husband and adult son鈥攕he embraced her schoolgirl philosophy of 鈥渓ooking at the sunny side of life.鈥�
Millie would be thrilled by the donation to Saint Columbkille, according to neighbor Denise Murphy, Kathleen Tudor鈥檚 friend, who was close with the family and said the fond memories of the school that Millie shared throughout her life made a strong impression on her daughter.
鈥淪he would have said, 鈥業 expected nothing less from Kathy,鈥欌�� Murphy said. 鈥淢illie would have wanted the money to support the education of the students at the school. Kathy knew that her mother loved Saint Columbkille and what the school meant to her.鈥�
That sentiment is echoed by Joy Seufert, Kathleen Tudor鈥檚 second cousin. Saint Columbkille 鈥渨as a big part of both Kathy and Aunt Millie, who were generous people. [The school] was the love, the binding force, the assistance, the help, the everything [for Millie].鈥�
聽鈥淭he Saint Columbkille school community strives to live out the Jesuit value of
being people for and with others,鈥� according to the school鈥檚 announcement about the donation. 鈥淪tudents are formed not just in academic knowledge and skills, but in how to care for others. Kathy and Millie鈥檚 gift ensures that students for generations to come will be able to grow in knowledge, service, and faith at Saint Columbkille. And the generosity of Kathy and Millie Tudor is a living example of what it means to be a person for and with others.鈥�
STCPS is now a leading Catholic and Jesuit-influenced private school for preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school students. In 2006鈥攁mid declining enrollment among Catholic schools nationwide鈥敯芍辈� College and the Archdiocese of 艾可直播 collaborated with Saint Columbkille to reestablish it as Saint Columbkille Partnership School, to provide additional resources for a new national model of excellence in Catholic education, fusing rich tradition with innovation. In 2018, STCPS was designated as the laboratory school for BC鈥檚 Lynch School of Education and Human Development, to enhance opportunities for teacher training, educational research, and professional development.
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