Remembering a Magnanimous Son of Newark

Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees Eugene Michael O’Hara ’55 passed away on May 4. A son of Newark who rose from the mailroom at Prudential Insurance Company to the corporation’s first chief financial officer, Mr. O’Hara led the Board of Trustees for 15 years. A strategic thinker and respected leader, he guided St. Benedict’s Prep through a transformative period of growth. “Gene never forgot where he came from,” said Fr. Edwin Leahy, O.S.B. ’63. “Gene was a great stabilizing force here for years. When we were concerned about debt, he was a source of hope. In fact, no matter the circumstances, he inspired hope.”

During Mr. O’Hara’s tenure, Leahy House was built, Turrell House and the Bishop Joseph A. Francis Hall were renovated as were the Upper and Lower Fields. No stranger to adversity (Mr. O’Hara attended night school to complete a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business from Rutgers University), he used his position and influence to mentor many Gray Bees. 

“He was the embodiment of magnanimous,” said Sharif Muhammad, M.B.A. ’92, who started an internship at Prudential the day after he graduated from Benedict’s. Mr. O’Hara emailed the intern, introduced himself as a fellow Gray Bee, and asked to meet. From that point on, Mr. O’Hara offered guidance to Mr. Muhammad through college, graduate school and his career. “Gene has a listening ear and always made the time,” said Mr. Muhammad, now the CEO of Financial Unlimited Group, Inc. “He was never judgmental. I would always hear from him whenever I needed that message to stay the course. And I know he’s done that for others.” 

Mr. O’Hara was awarded the Medal of St. Benedict’s, the School’s highest honor, in 1994. Beyond his service to The Hive, Mr. O’Hara was the chair of the Rutgers University Board of Governors, the chair and board member of Cathedral Healthcare, and an active member of the Financial Executives Institute and the New Jersey Council of the Arts.

A committed family man, Mr. O’Hara was a devoted husband to Lorna O’Hara, a loving father to five children and a hero to nine grandchildren.