The Salem Evening News
Online Edition Thursday, June 20, 2002
Scholarship foundation honors O'Grady's life, work

By MIKE GRENIER
News staff
Beth O'Grady felt especially good when she walked out of the dance that had been held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Salem last weekend.
It was no ordinary dance. This one was a fund-raiser for the Stephen O'Grady Scholarship Foundation, and while every dollar was important, what impressed Beth O'Grady the most was how familiar her brother was to a lot of people at the dance.
And they had such great respect for him. That too was obvious to Beth.
"Everyone was sharing stories about Steve," Beth O'Grady said of her brother, who was a longtime Salem Little League coach and the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Salem when he was killed at age 30 by a drunk driver on September 26, 1999.
"Some people at the dance didn't know Steve, so they felt like they were missing something when all these stories came out. But this was one of the best events we've had so far because of all the warmth that was in the room."
Steve O'Grady's family and friends fervently wish there had never been a need for a scholarship foundation in his honor. But once the accident occurred, there was simply no question that something would be done to keep his name alive in the community.
When O'Grady was killed on Route 95 as he returned from a weekend trip to New Hampshire, it was considered a huge loss for the Salem sports community. He'd started coaching Little League at age 16 and was closely identified with the Major League Reds for many years
Before he turned 20, he was also the athletics director at St. John's the Evangelist School in Beverly. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem was close to shutting its doors in 1995 before O'Grady took over as executive director and revived the place.
His work was so thorough, his enthusiasm so genuine and his reputation in the city so good that Larry McIntire, who is retiring as Salem's Parks and Recreation Director next week, had O'Grady in his sights as a possible successor years ago.
"I think Steve would've replaced me," McIntire said. "It's what the mayor wanted, it's what I wanted, it's what a lot of people wanted. It was common knowledge around the city about the type of person Steve was. He would've been the ideal candidate."
But after the awful crash, people didn't know what to do. They were at a loss until the foundation was formed.
"I remember going to the Salem-Beverly Thanksgiving Day football game in '99 and thinking Steve shouldn't be forgotten," said Steve Marsella, a veteran Beverly Little League coach who was one of O'Grady's closest friends. "I was down by the (entry) gate when (Salem's) Dave Wentzell and Hago Harrington walked in. I told them that if they were going to do anything for Steve, I wanted to be involved."
The scholarship foundation was established in the spring of 2000. Beth O'Grady was named president and Marsella vice-president. Wentzell and Harrington are also members of the foundation along with Theresa O'Grady (Steve's mother), Dick Ives, Rosie Cross and Mitch Michaud, who is the treasurer.
In its first two years, the foundation has awarded $12,000 in scholarships to 17 individuals who fulfilled the eligibility requirements of being involved as a player or volunteer in Salem Little League for three or more years, acceptance to college or a continuing education facility, and financial need.
The primary sources of revenue have been the Little League dance in the spring and a golf tournament at Olde Salem Greens in late summer, both of which are annual events. The golf tourney, which is set for August 23, was a near sellout last year.
The foundation also gladly accepts donations. There was a major act of kindness last year by Kennon Anderson, a board member at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem, who ran the Boston Marathon on behalf of the O'Grady Foundation and raised $6,700 from pledges and sponsorships.
"We've done extremely well so far," Beth O'Grady said. "When I see the amount of money that's been raised ... it's exceeded my expectations. We've gotten so much support from the community. Some of the essays we receive (from scholarship candidates) are unbelievably touching. It's an emotional task going through them."
Beth O'Grady is realistic about the foundation and its future. Her brother died just three years ago, so name recognition is still very high among players, parents and coaches who were involved with Steve in Salem Little League. If anything, the players' appreciation of Steve has probably deepened as they've matured into teen-agers.
But time can be cruel in these matters. Kids move on and develop other interests. Priorities change, and it's inevitable that some families will move out of Salem. Beth O'Grady thinks about those things and how they might affect the foundation.
"As time goes on and people do other things with their lives, you wonder whether all this (interest in the foundation) is going to fade away, or something else will take its place," Beth said. "At some point, we're going to start running out of kids who played for Steve and parents who knew him as their sons' coach."
Nevertheless, the foundation can remain strong, she said. It can even expand.
"I like to think big," Beth said. "We could be a foundation that gives back to the community in ways that far exceed scholarships. It's an awe-inspiring task, but Steve's spirit still inspires us every day.
"You know that Steve wouldn't want any of this because he was so humble. But we're going to keep going."

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