Profiles in Giving Fall '26

On Christmas Eve 2025, Marion d. de B. Kilson ’54 died suddenly, leaving her three adult children, Jennifer Kilson-Page, Peter Kilson, and Hannah Kilson simultaneously reeling from their loss and yet profoundly aware of how fortunate they were.

“Both of my parents were great role models,” said Mr. Kilson. “My mother was the glue that held our family together.”

The next day, they unwrapped Christmas gifts she had left for them, a soothing ritual that helped them in the earliest stage of their grief. Soon after, they would find solace in giving a gift of their own in her honor. 

This year, they established The Marion D. de B. Kilson ’54 Endowed Scholarship Fund at Winsor, something they say was an easy choice.

“It was a way to leave a mark, to say that Marion Kilson, her legacy of commitment to the education and advancement of women continues,” said Ms. Kilson. 

Ms. Kilson-Page agreed. “Losing your parents, you try to figure out how to keep them with you. And this was a way to not only keep her with us, but to also pay back, with our thanks, for what Winsor did for her.” 

The siblings say that their mother was nurtured in important ways during her time at the school. First and foremost, she gained friendships that lasted through every season of her life. 

“There was a core group of women who she went to Winsor with who were still a very important part of her life,” said Ms. Kilson-Page. “Part of my mom’s legacy to me is her example of lifelong friendships and bonds with women.”

Beyond the friendships, they credit Winsor with sparking her intellectual curiosity and developing her quiet leadership style that would eventually help her earn her doctorate degree from Harvard University and lead to a distinguished career in anthropology and academia.

Along the way, she met and married Dr. Martin Kilson (who predeceased her in 2019), the first African American to receive full tenure at Harvard in 1969. Their successful, dual-career, interracial, 60-year marriage defied societal expectations of the day and thrived in part because of their shared love of education. 

“Both my parents felt that education was the cornerstone for opportunity. I think every opportunity my parents had, and frankly, every opportunity I’ve had, has been because of the education we received,” said Ms. Kilson-Page.

The Kilson family used their mother’s values as a guide for how to structure the scholarship criteria. Marion was a scholarship student at Winsor, and so understood firsthand the impact that reliable financial assistance can make. 

The scholarship will provide tuition assistance to a student with demonstrated need, with preference given to a student from an urban area and who would be among the first in their family to attend an independent school. Once the scholarship is awarded, it will stay with the student as long as they attend Winsor.

“We want to support Winsor in diversifying its community, opening doors, not just for people who have a history of being there, but also allowing new people to be there and create their own history,” said Ms. Kilson-Page.

“As a white woman, my mother had a certain access and entrée,” adds Ms. Kilson. “But as the mother of three African American children, she had a lot of sensitivity to creating opportunity for all kinds of people. We’re the beneficiaries of that, and we want to give others an incredible education that they are completely capable of thriving in. I think this would make my mom really happy.”

As they think about the future and their ultimate goals for The Marion D. de B. Kilson ’54 Endowed Scholarship Fund, the Kilsons have Winsor students on their minds. 

As for Ms. Kilson-Page, her dream is that in 10 or 20 years, teachers in Boston Public Schools will know about the Kilson Scholarship and encourage talented students to apply. “I would like to see it as a pathway, and that we can put the pieces together for a child who might otherwise not have the economic capacity to attend.”

“I would like for scholarship recipients to be able to pursue careers that they want, and at the same time, I hope they can also learn the power of giving back,” said Mr. Kilson. 

Giving back and learning are recurring themes in the Kilson family, taught by example. They are paying those lessons forward to benefit the next generation of Winsor students. ●