Sister Mary Christopher O'Rourke served as president of Salve Regina College from June 1968 to 1973. Appointed in spring 1968, she was inaugurated on May 17, 1969. Previously, she had been head of the sociology department at the college.
Sister O'Rourke earned her B. A. from Brown in 1940, and then her M. A in 1955 and her Ph. D in Sociology in 1962, both from the University of Notre Dame. Her doctoral dissertation was titled, "The Impact of the Educational Environment on the Development of a Professional Self-Image."
After her tenure as President, Sister O'Rourke worked as Director of Guidance in New Bedford. At the time of her death in 2003, she was living at a convent in Tiverton, Rhode Island and had been part of the Sisters of Mercy for 61 years.
This collection is not restricted.
Various copying restriction apply, according to the Archives' use policy. Guidelines are available from the Salve Regina University Archives. Salve Regina University owns the copyright to material produced by employees and trustees of the University and work for hire. Requests for permission to publish material from the University Archives should be directed to the Archivist. See also the Archives' copyright and publication statement.
[Identification of item], in RG 3.1.4 Sister Mary Christopher O'Rourke papers, [Box #, Folder #], Salve Regina University Archives, McKillop Library, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI
Most of the collection consists of correspondence. Additional materials include biographical information, professional records, speeches given by Sister O'Rourke, and documentation of her inauguration as college president, also largely consisting of correspondence.
Materials in the collection are arranged in four series:
Within each series, materials are arranged alphabetically.
The collection was transferred to the Archives and processed sometime before 2014, possibly by former Archivist Sister Mary Smith. In fall 2017, University Archivist and Special Collections Library Genna Duplisea refined the arrangement and wrote the finding aid. In fall 2019, the folder inventory was corrected. Materials related to Sister O'Rourke's academic career were added inJanuary 2021.
Additional accruals are not expected.
Three folders of Commencement and Convocation speeches given by a variety of speakers were moved from the collection to RG 6.7: Convocation and RG 6.8: Commencement.
Includes materials related to Sister O'Rourke's inauguration, which took place about a year after her appointment, on May 17, 1969. Most of the documents in this series are correspondence, congratulating Sister O'Rourke and responding to invitations to her inauguration ceremony.
This series includes information about Sister O'Rourke's life and accomplishments.
The bulk of the collection, the Correspondence series is organized by correspondent. It mainly includes correspondence from Sister O'Rourke's tenure as President of the College.
Includes various materials related to Sister O'Rourke's tenure as President of the college and after, such as press, speeches, and documents related to projects or organizations.