In memoriam: Mary Elizabeth Corcoran

Corcoran, Mary Elizabeth of Minneapolis, age 94, passed away on Sunday, July 24. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, she was the daughter of Charles and Katherine Corcoran. She is preceded in death by both parents, brother John Corcoran, and sister Ellen Perry. She is survived by two nieces and four nephews. She graduated from Hunter College and Stanford University before receiving her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1957. She was faculty at the U of M for 30 years, retiring Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology and Higher Education in 1986. After retirement, she enjoyed traveling, hiking, reading, and genealogy research/writing. In 2009, she published a book of her family history, tracing her 19th century Irish roots. She also remained active as a retiree of the U of M and was a generous supporter of its Policy and Evaluation Studies Program, providing many students grant money for travel and research. Her circle of friends extends globally as she touched many lives. Gifts in memory of Mary Elizabeth Corcoran may be made to the Mary E. Corcoran Endowment in Policy and Evaluation Studies, University of Minnesota Foundation, Fund #4192.

As published in the Star Tribune on July 30, 2016