The Clemente Course in the Humanities mourns the loss of Kristin O’Connell (1943–2026), a founding member of our board and the person who brought Clemente to Massachusetts. Kristin died in August at age 83.

As a program officer at the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities (now Mass Humanities), Kristin was deeply inspired by Earl Shorris’s radical, inclusive vision of the humanities, and she made it her mission to bring it to the Commonwealth. She took particular pride in our longstanding Clemente Course in Dorchester and was a steadfast champion of Clemente in its early years. “We wouldn’t exist without her,” says Prof. Timothy Patrick McCarthy, whom Kristin hired to teach American History 25 years ago and later championed as Dorchester's Academic Director.

Kristin was an original incorporator of CCH and served as the board’s secretary and treasurer. Board president James Shorris remembers her as “a voice of reason, always patient and kind” during those formative early years for the national organization. Prof. Marina van Zuylen, whom Kristin helped bring on to teach in Dorchester, recalls her as “so kind, but also so feisty,” someone who defended her principles tirelessly.

A former journalist and architectural historian, Kristin brought an exacting and generous mind to everything she touched, and a belief that the serious study of the humanities belongs to everyone. Her legacy lives on in Clemente classrooms across the country.

Our Mission

The Clemente Course in the Humanities provides a transformative educational experience for adults facing economic hardship and adverse circumstances. Our free college humanities courses empower students to further their education and careers, become effective advocates for themselves and their families, and engage actively in the cultural and civic lives of their communities.