Communications Professional, Humanitarian, Philanthropist
Mimi O’Hagan, 88, resident of New York City for 65 years until 2016, and the philanthropist who spearheaded building schools and health clinics in Ethiopia over the past decade, died on May 9 in Washington DC.
Ms. O’Hagan had a highly impactful, nearly 50 years long career in communications, with positions ranging from working on General Eisenhower’s Presidential campaign to public relations at Schweppes. In 1966 Ms. O’Hagan founded her own firm, Murphy O’Hagan, with Claire Murphy, specializing in working with non-profits, including Orbus, Project Hope, The Freedom Institute, Oxford University Press and the American Association of Publishers. Educated at Convent of the Sacred Heart schools, including Eden Hall (1947) and Newton College (1951), Ms. O’Hagan had a close association with the Sacred Heart worldwide network. Her relationship included a decades long association with Convent of the Sacred school on 91st Street, in New York City, where until recently Ms. O’Hagan was a Trustee Emeritus.
Though Ms. O’Hagan retired from corporate life in 2000, her most meaningful work had yet to begin. After several years of traveling the world, featuring such service activities as teaching English to monks in Thailand, and assisting with a micro-finance initiative in Tanzania. Ms. O’Hagan visited Ethiopia in 2006. While building mud-based housing there at age 76, Ms. O’Hagan witnessed the pervasiveness of highly impoverished communities. There and then she decided to dedicate all her energies to helping those Ethiopians most in need. Ms. O’Hagan founded Mimi’s Building Block’s and formed a venture with Save the Children to build schools. Mimi’s Building Blocks subsequently sponsored five educational centers, complete with fresh water systems and health clinics. In honor of Ms. O’Hagan’s decades long work with the poor and impoverished around the world, culminating in Mimi’s Building Blocks, Ms. O’Hagan was awarded with the highest honor – the Cor Unum Award – by the Associated Alumni of the Sacred Heart. She was also profiled in the Wall Street Journal and other periodicals.
Ms. O’Hagan is survived by four nephews (Sean Murphy, Drew Murphy, Byrne Murphy, Clarke Murphy) and a niece (Chrystal Murphy), and sixteen grand nephews and nieces. In lieu of flowers, it is kindly requested that donations be made in Mimi O’Hagan’s name to: Mimi’s Building Blocks, c/o Save the Children (http://savethechildren.planmygift.org/meet-our-donors/mimi-o-hagan ). A memorial service shall be held on Friday, June 1, 2018, at 5 PM in the Chapel at the Convent of the Sacred Heart school, located at 1 East 91st Street, New York, NY, 10128.
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