Scholarship Information
Mary O. Kinch Music Prizes | |
|---|---|
| Faculty: | Arts |
| Process: | Recommendation by the Department of Music |
| Scholarship Type: | Award |
| Description: | Awarded to Music students on the basis of the previous year's performance. |
| Background: | Justin A. (Mickey) McKean (1919-1997) was the only child of Mary Olive Kinch who was born in Kildare, PEI. Mary's Island roots go deep; she was the fourth generation of the family that had come from Ireland to farm on PEI. Her mother was a Handrahan; her grandmother a Dalton, sister of Sir Charles Dalton, pioneer in the silver fox industry on the Island, Lieutenant Governor of PEI in the 1930's, and whose generosity allowed the building of "Dalton Hall" in 1917 as a residence to accommodate the influx of students following the war. Like so many young Islanders of that era, Mary moved to the Boston States where she met and married Collin McKean, Justin's father. When Collin died suddenly in 1939, Mary took a position as a housekeeper for a woman in Wellesley, MA, whose name we do not know, but whose generosity has had a lasting impact, since upon her death she left Mary a bequest of $50,000. This, it is believed, is the source of the funds that Mr. McKean invested and subsequently donated to UPEI for scholarships for music students in his mother's name. |
