Our Foundation
The Oliver P. Killam Private Foundation was established in 2007 at the behest of the late Marblehead resident Oliver Killam who willed the bulk of his life savings to provide need-based scholarships to Marblehead High students pursuing college degrees.
Eighty percent of the foundation’s annual interest income funds the scholarships, while 20% is dedicated to the Children’s Room at Abbot Public Library.
To date, the foundation has awarded over $5 million in scholarship and donated almost $1 million to the library.
Meet Oliver
Oliver Porter Killam Jr. resided in Boxford, Massachusetts, during his early years. In the 1920s Oliver, at the age of 17, drove across the United States to see the country with his own eyes. This was no minor feat when one considers the infancy of the highway system. Oliver had a zest for life and an insatiable intellectual curiosity that lead him to explore many avenues in his life.
Oliver settled in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He was a restauranteur at one point, built furniture for schools and businesses, and bought a beautiful piece of property with three houses known as "the hill." Then he discovered the stock market. Turns out, Oliver had an amazing knack for investment.
When he died at the age of 93, Oliver had a fortune, which he left, through his private foundation, to be used for scholarships for Marblehead High students Part of that estate also provides funds to the children's room in Abbot Public Library.