Honoring the Legacy of Richmond Mayo-Smith, Jr.

The Richmond Mayo-Smith, Jr. Visionary Fund was created by the board and staff of World Education to honor the memory and celebrate the life of an extraordinary educator and humanitarian who was instrumental in launching World Education. Richmond, or Dick, Mayo-Smith built his life around an idea that fueled his work:

“The possibility of making the world a better place for the next generation is for me both the major challenge of the human species and its unique capacity.”

Dick had a long history with World Education. He generously shared his passion and his deep knowledge with our partners, staff, and leadership from our very beginning in 1951. While at the University of Delhi, he worked with World Education founder Welthy Fisher and was instrumental in building its predecessor, Literacy House in Lucknow. Dick went on to work for World Education and then served on our Board of Directors, including becoming Chair of the Board from 1975-81.

World Education will use the Richmond Mayo-Smith, Jr. Visionary Fund to inspire and encourage our staff and partners to continue to carry out Dick’s legacy of openness to new ideas, his creativity, and his consistent encouragement to boldly take risks in service of our commitment to improving education and the lives of the poor. The fund will provide the vital resources our staff need to stay responsive, nimble, and relevant for the communities they serve.

We invite you to join us in recognizing the vision and dedication of Dick Mayo-Smith, a man who has helped World Education grow to provide greater access to education for thousands of people around the world. Your support will help ensure that this work continues for years to come.

If you are interested in contributing to the Dick Mayo-Smith Fund, please continue to our donation page. When asked if you would like to donate to a specific project, please enter “Mayo-Smith Fund.”

Checks can be mailed to World Education at 44 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210.