Salem State Rededicates School In Honor Of Woburn's Jamie McKeown

WOBURN, MA — Woburn’s James "Jamie" McKeown received posthumous recognition on Wednesday when Salem State University in Salem rededicated its school of education in honor of McKeown.

A longtime Woburn and Winchester resident, McKeown was a 1977 alumnus of Salem State. He went on to rise through the Woburn-based Cummings Properties, serving as the firm’s president beginning in 1990. McKeown was also a managing trustee for the related Cummings Foundation before his death at the age of 41 in 1996.

Salem State’s education school rededication followed a $10 million gift from the Cummings Foundation to the university earlier this year.

“Jamie was well known for his passion for education and commitment to creating opportunities for young people,” Cummings Foundation co-founder and Winchester resident Joyce Cummings said in a statement through the foundation on Thursday. “I can think of no better way to memorialize such a wonderful person than by supporting the advancement of so many worthy ideals at his alma mater.”

McKeown served in Woburn outside his Cummings roles throughout his life, helping lead groups including the Woburn Industrial Development Finance Authority, the Woburn Business Association, and the Woburn Boys and Girls Club.

McKeown has been honored in multiple ways since his death, with both the James L. McKeown Boys and Girls Club of Woburn and Beverly’s James L. McKeown Elementary School now dedicated in his memory.

Cummings money going to Salem State and the now newly-dubbed James McKeown School of Education will back “development and implementation of programming designed to strengthen and diversify the educator workforce,” as noted in the Cummings Foundation’s announcement this week.

Joyce Cummings and her Cummings Foundation co-founder, Bill Cummings, attended Wednesday’s dedication at Salem State alongside Denise McKeown, who is James McKeown’s window. Current Cummings chairman and CEO Dennis Clarke was also in attendance.