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It was a rainy day at Misquamicut Beach when Charles Liguori and his future wife, Jeanne, first met under an awning, sheltering from a storm. Three days later, Charles shipped off to Korea. Though they barely knew each other, the couple nurtured their connection, faithfully exchanging letters, and when Charles returned home to Westerly, they married—beginning a love story that would span 68 years.

Charles, who built a career in banking and real estate, later discovered a passion for impressionist painting, capturing coastal New England landscapes, Italian street markets, and simple moments of everyday life. His work reflected his deep connection to the people and places he loved most. Jeanne, the beloved "Miss Jeanne" who taught generations of children at Jeanne's Dance Center in Westerly, shared Charles's love for creativity, family, and community. When Charles passed away on his 92nd birthday in December 2024, followed by Jeanne just six months later, their children came together to honor their parents' creative legacy.

"My dad had probably close to 700 paintings," recalls their daughter, Lisa, “but he never displayed more than four or five at a time." After sorting and keeping family favorites, Lisa and her husband Chris, together with her brothers David, Michael, and Steven, organized an art show to sell their dad’s remaining works. "We didn't realize how much money we were going to raise. We thought we might raise enough for a small donation to the United Theater and to help kids at Westerly High School with a passion for art or dance—or for any of the arts," Lisa explains. "We just wanted to help someone."

The show’s success surpassed all expectations and gave the family an opportunity to honor both their parents' legacies: the joy Charles found in painting and Jeanne's decades of teaching young dancers in Westerly. A fellow Foundation donor who knew the family suggested they connect with the Rhode Island Foundation to create a lasting tribute.

The result is the Charles and Jeanne Liguori Memorial Scholarship Fund, which supports graduating seniors at Westerly High School—Charles's alma mater and later that of Lisa, David, Michael, and Steven—who are pursuing postsecondary education in any of the arts.

“We didn't want to restrict the fund to dance or art," Lisa says. "Music, theater, art, dance—anything under the arts. We wanted to help students in memory of mom and dad." Just as Charles and Jeanne built something lasting from a chance encounter on a stormy day, their family has transformed their parents' legacy into something equally enduring—a scholarship that will give students the chance to pursue their artistic dreams, year after year, in the town Charles and Jeanne called home.