Former Fall River school superintendent
John R. Correiro, 69, of Fall River, died Sunday, Aug. 29, 2004, at home following a one-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was the husband of Claudette (Laliberte) Correiro of Fall River; they were married 39 years.
Born in Fall River, a son of the late John Correiro and Agnes (Paquette) Correiro, he was a lifelong resident of Fall River and summered in Little Compton for more than 37 years. He was a member of B.M.C. Durfee High School's Class of 1953 and continued his education at Merrimack College, graduating in 1961. He later attended the University of Rhode Island, graduating in 1971 with a master's degree in public administration. A United States Marine Corps veteran, he served in Okinawa during the Korean Conflict.
Mr. Correiro began his professional career as a news reporter for the Fall River Herald News and the Providence Journal. He then took a position with the Fall River school system as a sixth grade teacher at Brayton Avenue Elementary School, and was later appointed Special Assistant to the Superintendent. Mr. Correiro was the director of the Neighborhood Youth Corps, Director of English as a Second Language and director of Bilingual and Migrant Programs. He then joined the staff at Lesley University in Cambridge as director of the National Assessment and Dissemination Center. He returned to Fall River in 1980 and was appointed Superintendent of Schools, a position he held until his retirement in 1993.
During his tenure he was instrumental in the development of a comprehensive school buildings needs program. This led to the construction of the Henry Lord Middle School and the elementary schools that have recently been completed, as well as those on the drawing board to this day. A champion of equality for all students, he was recognized nationally for having implemented the first voluntary school choice program for the linguistic minorities. This provided equal access to school facilities, balancing the school population and facilitating linguistic, as well as racial, equality. In 1993 he joined the Education Alliance Center at Brown University as director of the New England Desegregation Assistance Program, helping school districts throughout the northeast implement programs of equity. Most recently, he had served as director of Collaborative Leadership for the Northeast Superintendents Leadership Council. The auditorium at the new Henry Lord Middle School was dedicated in his honor in October of 2003.
Mr. Correiro served on numerous civic and charitable boards and was a member of Sacred Heart Church and St. Mary's Cathedral in Fall River. A long-time incorporator, trustee and member of the board of Investment of the Fall River Five Cent Savings Bank, he had also served as trustee and chairman of the board at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, the New England League of Superintendents of Schools, and was a long-time member and past Exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge 118 in Fall River. Although illness limited his activities this past year, he thoroughly enjoyed his family, grandchildren, reading and nature.
Besides his wife, he leaves a daughter, Christine E. Merriman of Little Compton; three sons, John P. Correiro of Little Compton, Jason R. Correiro of Warwick and Justin W. Correiro of Fall River; a brother, Detective William R. Correiro of the Fall River Police Department, of Assonet, Mass.; a sister, Pamela Bebekian of Melrose, Mass.; several nieces and nephews, including Fall River Police Officer Allen B. Correiro; and seven grandchildren, Jasper Merriman and Charlotte, John, Madison, Nora, Drew and Aubrey Correiro. He was a brother of the late Allen and Delores Correiro.
Funeral services will be held at 8:45 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, from the Waring-Sullivan Home of Memorial Tribute at Cherry Place, 178 Winter St., Fall River, with a Funeral Mass at 10 a.m. in St. Mary's Cathedral, Spring Street, Fall River. Burial will be in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Fall River.
