Still later, she became director of the International Institute in Boston, remaining in that position until 1958. She traveled extensively around the country, promoting fair changes in immigration policy to ensure justice for newcomers. Cardinal Cushing bestowed on her an honorary doctoral degree at Boston College, where she had also taught.
She did not end her commitment to the well-being of immigrants after retirement. Her diaries indicate that she continued to meet with like-minded people and with people she had served over the years. When she died in 1968, she was still Director of the National Organization of American Immigration, Citizenship Conference.
For more information about Miss O'Connor,to study her diaries, look at photographs, please contact the Lawrence History Center at research@lawrencehistory.org