Remembering Kevin O'Malley

Dr. Kevin Patrick O’Malley, passed away on March 1, a person much beloved by many in town, in addition to his family and friends.

In an interview with Steve Sherlock of Franklin Matters, when he was a candidate for reelection to the School Committee, after describing his position at Franklin High School and then roles as principal in Leominster and superintendent in Ayer, as well as teaching at Fitchburg State and UMass, O’Malley said, “Teaching is part of learning. There is no line where one stops and the other begins.“

In a long career as an educator, he touched many lives around the Commonwealth but especially here.

Again, quoting Sherlock’s interview, O’Malley recalled his penultimate educational undertaking, the Charter School. “I got a call out of the blue and ended up at the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter School. An unbelievable experience. It had started and run into some rocky times. They hired me initially for a short period of time and I ended up staying for six years,” he said.

Rocky times indeed! After a series of leadership changes, parents had formed factions and board meetings were tense. With a serene sense of self assurance, geniality, and kindness, O’Malley acted as bromide, quicly winning in equal measure the parents, children, and faculty and staff.

“He was truly an amazing educator, kind soul, and really cared for the well-being of all of the students he was responsible for,” noted Heather Zolnowski, Executive Director at the Charter School. In a message to the Charter School Community, Zolnowski wrote, “he led our school through a challenging time, and was such a positive voice as Head of School. Personally, I feel so grateful for his mentorship and years he gave to our community.

“Kevin was an ardent supporter of public education in Massachusetts. His passion was clearly making sure every student had the opportunity to learn in a safe, supportive environment. He was a teacher, a building level administrator, a superintendent, as well as serving on the Franklin School Committee, and even as their president. Kevin's love of children, education, and teachers (and moose) was evident in everything he did to support education throughout his life. He truly will be missed,” Zolnowski concluded.

Joseph Perna, Head of School at Charter added, “I'll always remember how he would use his love of moose to make connections with kids of all ages. Students would drop off moose pictures, or little moose keepsakes they wanted to give him. He'd joke with students about why a moose was a far finer animal then a goose or any other animal. When he retired we held a surprise assembly for him, and all the students wore paper moose ears. He joked, it was the best we all ever looked. It's a silly memory, but one that I think underscores his genuine love of students, and understanding that schools are about being community and connection.

“Personally, I'll always be thankful for his kindness and mentorship. He was a leader who believed that decisions should be guided by what's best for kids, and always put that at the forefront of his decision making, and I still rely on that wisdom today,” said Perna.

"I am deeply saddened to hear of Dr. O'Malley's passing,” said Eamon McCarthy Earls, Charter grad and former Town Councilor. “I knew Dr. O'Malley as the headmaster of Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School and a fellow citizen of Franklin. Always congenial and dedicated to his work, Dr. O'Malley was also sage, sharing with his students the wisdom he learned from experiences like meeting Dr. Martin Luther King at the 1963 March on Washington,” he added.

And Ethan McCarthy Earls, also a former Charter student, recalled the little things....like being rewarded for picking up O’Malley’s dropped Speedball pen, by being given the nearly new writing instrument as a reward.

After Charter, restless O’Malley made a run for School Committee, and won.

Cindy Douglas, a former member of the Franklin School Committee, summed him up. “He was a wonderful person and fabulous as a chairman; a very caring person.”