Trail Dedicated to Corinne Cody
The longtime Doylestown educator and community leader was remembered for her role in making the area's 18-mile bike and hike trail system a reality.
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When Corinne Cody died, a little piece of Doylestown died with her.
It was the piece that always thought tomorrow would be better. The part that said 'we can do it if we work together.' The bit that believed absolutely in the power of positive thinking.
"Corinne was the most amazingly positive, relentlessly optimistic person I’ve ever met," John Davis, Doylestown borough manager and a friend and neighbor of Cody's, said earlier this year. "In this job, you tend to think that optimists sometimes are naïve. Corinne taught me and everyone she worked with that it was possible to make your community a better place while looking on the bright side at all times."
Cody, a longtime educator in Central Bucks and community leader in Doylestown, died in March at age 81. She had lived in Doylestown with her husband, Kevin, for 46 years and had dedicated her considerable talents to making the town a better place to live.
She worked for the Central Bucks School District from 1972 to 2000 as an elementary school teacher, principal and district-wide coordinator for social studies and science. She also helped to develop and promote the PEN program for gifted education.
A dedicated member of the Bucks County League of Women Voters, Cody edited the annual Voters' Guide and supported the "Kids Voting" program.
One of her most enduring legacies, though, undoubtedly is the Doylestown-area bike and hike trail system. Cody served on the bike and hike committee from 1994 to 2011 and was instrumental in bringing the trail system to life and helping expand it each year.
At a ceremony on Oct. 19, Cody's family gathered on a section of that trail near Kutz Elementary. As Kutz students sang, and Cody's son, Kieran, spoke of his mother, Doylestown-area leaders presented her family with a token of their love for the small woman whose heart was so big.
They rededicated that section of the trail in Cody's honor.
While the bench and the plaque and the trail itself stand as physical reminders of her life and its work, Cody's true legacy is the spirit of cooperation and hope with which she approached life, said those who knew her well.
"She was the principal of my kids’ elementary school, and a wonderful educator who then took her organization skills and her love of community to head the bike and hike endeavor, and we’ll always be grateful for that," said Doylestown Township supervisor Barb Lyons. "She’s left an indelible mark on our community."
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Jeff Lugar
11:43 am on Thursday, October 25, 2012
She taught me in the PEN program (think Malcolm in the Middle's Krelboynes, but more normal and just 90 minutes twice a week) when I was at Pine Run and Unami. It really focused and magnified our creativity. To this day, when I come up with some interesting solution to a problem or unique way to use a gadget beyond its intended purpose, I wonder if I'd have come up with it had it not been for Dr. Cody and PEN.
Dawn Byers
1:07 pm on Thursday, October 25, 2012
Although Dr. Cody did many things in the public eye, she also did many important behind the scenes things in our community. Not many know this, but if it had not been for Dr. Cody taking my husband and I under her wing and helping introduce us to the right people in the community and the school district, Kids Castle would never have been a reality! It was her vision to get children involved in the making kids castle a reality. She was the person who approached Dr. Laws to get permission for the school district to identify children from every grade level (1st through 12th) to serve on the design committee. These children worked side by side with the architects and designers, physically contributing their ideas, drawings and much time to help create the architectural drawings the community used to build the playground. All the while Dr. Cody was there supporting the children all the way. Thank you Dr. Cody!! You were a blessing to this community in so many ways.
Sarah Larson
3:54 pm on Thursday, October 25, 2012
Thanks for sharing your memories of her. I regret that I didn't get to know her personally. She sounds absolutely amazing.
Does anyone else have memories of Dr. Cody?