Mary C. and Henry A. Ornellas Memorial Scholarship

The Mary C. and Henry A. Ornellas Memorial Scholarship was established in 1995 by Maile Ornellas in loving memory of her grandmother and her father. Her grandmother Mary was the granddaughter of a Portuguese sugar cane worker. She became an accomplished seamstress even with an eighth grade education. She worked for Liberty House in Oahu and for Westbrook Clothiers in Oakland California.

Her son, Henry Ornellas, Hank to his friends, earned his bachelors in Music from the University of the Pacific and his Masters in Music from Stanford University. He taught summer session jazz at UOP and instrumental music at Antioch High School. His students won numerous national competitions, including being selected to perform at the Seattle World’s Fare. He also directed the Concord Municipal Band, played gigs with his jazz combo throughout the East Bay, and was the Vice President of the California Band Leaders Association.

This scholarship is to be awarded to Fashion Design Majors or Music Majors with serious career goals in their chosen fields. A second priority can be Cinema or TV majors.