延安仙鹤岭布里几德·克阿女士纪念碑简介

 走进仙鹤岭大门，迎面就看到延安大学终身教授布里几德·克阿女士的纪念碑，那深邃的双眼深沉地注视着远方，给人以力量与信心，如同她那“到世界最贫困的地方兴办教育，为人类的文明与进步献身”的庄严承诺一样令人肃然起敬。纪念碑风格独特、寓意深刻，这是延安市政协委员、仙鹤岭公墓有限公司总经理宣永红先生耗资二十二万元，并亲自去上海聘请国内最大的墓碑设计公司上海杨艺的设计师为克阿女士量身设计的。

 纪念碑碑面（正面）是用印度红石材制成，寓意克阿女士热情、奔放、执著、韧性的性格。碑面最上端是克阿女士半身塑像，碑面的下部和碑座的上方依次为克阿女士八岁、十八岁和在延安大学执教时的照片以及“延安大学终身教授布里几德·克阿女士、Brigid Keogh 、1909.9.9——2007.6.1”烫金字。侧面是用中国黑石材制成的书卷雕塑，意指克阿女士为人类教育事业和人类文明进步奋斗终身，她的一生是一本厚重的书，是一部活的教育史诗。在书卷雕塑的下方是克阿女士为延安大学捐资修建的外语教学楼影雕，以此突出克阿女士对延安大学外语教学水平的提高和陕北教育事业发展做出的巨大贡献。

 纪念碑设计坚持人性化，庄严肃穆，并具有很高的审美价值。布里几德克阿女士的好友、诗人谷溪为她撰写了“墓志铭”，延安大学外国语学院吴卫东教授译为英文。分别镌刻在碑座和背面；在纪念碑的右上角植一棵松柏，取名为奉献树，象征克阿女士无私奉献的一生。

                  克阿墓志铭

    布里几德·克阿女士（Brigid Keogh）美籍爱尔兰人，英美文学博士、西方史硕士、东方史博士、延安大学终生教授。

    1909年9月9日，她出生于美国纽约。其父马丁·克阿（Martin Keogh）曾为纽约高级法院法官；其母凯瑟林·艾米特·克阿（Katharine Emmet Keogh）是爱尔兰民族英雄罗伯特·艾米特家族的后裔，她酷爱诗歌，小克阿从小就受到了良好的家庭教育，16岁时，她以优异的成绩考入了曼哈顿维尔学院。

    布里几德·克阿兄妹十人。他们有的是驰骋二战疆场的军人、有的是法官、有的是商人、探险家。1929年，她却独自走进曼哈顿修道院做了修女。

    “到世界最贫困的地方兴办教育，为人类的文明与进步献身”是她对上帝最初的承诺；她称自己是“世界公民”。血统、国籍、肤色和语言都无法阻隔她对人类的至爱，她先后在非洲、亚洲创办过七所学校，执教50多年。延安大学是她从事教育生涯的最后一站，整整十年，她为这所大学的发展、壮大做了许多有益的工作，先后荣获“陕西省优秀外籍专家”称号和国务院“友谊奖”。

2007年6月1日，布里几德·克阿女士在日本东京病逝，享年98岁。

                    EPITAPH FOR BRIGID KEOGH

    Brigid Keogh was born in New York on Sept 9, 1909, an auspicious day. Her father Martin Keogh was a New York Superior Court Judge, and her mother Katharine Emmet Keogh was a descendant of the Irish national hero Robert Emmet. There were ten siblings who went on to outstanding military service, business and law success, and even an explorer. 

    Brigid loved learning from an early age, and poetry and literature were her passion. She studied American and English Literature and went to college at the early age of 16. At the age of 20 she entered the Convent of the Sacred Heart order of schools as a nun.

    “Go to the poorest places in the world and set up educational opportunities and dedicate your energy to the civilization and progress of the human race” was her commitment to God and man. She claimed herself a “world citizen”. Nationality, ethnicity, and language were never a barrier to her love for all mankind. 

    During her years as Reverend Mother Vicar of the schools in the Far East, she established 7 new Convent of the Sacred Heart Schools in Asia and Africa over a period of 40 years. After retirement, in 1986, she came to the School of Foreign Languages at Yanan University and taught for 5 years. During this time she raised donations of over $200,000 US to help build a new building for foreign language study. She also sponsored 8 teachers and students for overseas study. Teaching at Yanan University was her last formal position and one she cherished. She contributed to the development and stature of the University, and was given the “Shaanxi Outstanding Foreign Teacher” and State Council issued “Friendship” awards. A book “The Giving Tree” was written about her experience in Yanan. Brigid Keogh was named "Professor Emeritus of Yanan University” in 1995.

    On June 1, 2007, Brigid Keogh died at the age of 98 in Tokyo, where she chose to see her long and productive life to a close.