People, Places, and Things: 7-17-15

Scholarship fund keeps on giving to Marblehead High graduatesAttorney Frank P. Muzio and Scott MacAllister, trustees of the Oliver P. Killam Trust, hosted a reception honoring this year’s recipients of Oliver P. Killam Scholarships on July 10 at the Law Office of Welch & Muzio. The Killam scholarship committee and families of recipients were also in attendance.This year’s reception was especially poignant as Attorney Robert W. Welch passed away this spring after a valiant fight with cancer. Welch along with his partner Frank P. Muzio were the motivating factors in leading the court action that eventually made the Killam funds available for the graduates of the Town of Marblehead and the Abbot Public Library. This year’s reception was dedicated to Welch to honor his commitment to Killam and the trust.This year’s new recipients are Jacqueline Burke, Mileah Duntley, Tamia Hargrove, Hillman Hollister, Zhen Humenn, Kegan Jones, Shanice James-Jones, Karli Kovner, Laura Laub, Maise Miller, Alyssa Montecalvo, Jessica Pearce, Angel Perez and Hayley Reardon.The Oliver P. Killam Scholarship was established after lengthy court proceedings upheld the will of Oliver P. Killam, in which he bequeathed 80 percent of the proceeds from the Oliver Killam Private Foundation to be used to fund college scholarships for Marblehead High School graduates and 20 percent for the upkeep of a children’s room at the Abbot Public Library. It was a four-year battle with countless court appearances to have the vast bulk of the estate, some $11 million, returned to the charitable trust allowing Welch and fellow trustee MacAllister to begin the enjoyable task of awarding the first of many Oliver Killam Scholarships.In the last nine years, the Oliver P. Killam Scholarship fund has awarded Marblehead High School graduates scholarships amounting to $1,872,719. At the same time, the fund has made $346,276 in contributions to the Abbot Public Library and will continue to make substantial contributions, according to Muzio.