Sister Corinne Clay passed away on Oct. 23, 2014. She was 95 years old. She was born in Jacksonville, Fla. on Sept. 14, 1919, the only daughter of Charles and Minnie Mendel Clay. At baptism she was named Mary Louise.
Sister Corinne’s family moved to Medford, Ore., where she attended school. She graduated from Mount Angel Academy, where she had lived as a resident student and then as an aspirant. She entered Queen of Angels Monastery in 1937 and made profession on Feb. 10, 1940, receiving the name, Sister Corinne, honoring her special devotion to the Sacred Heart.
Sister Corinne earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts at Mount Angel College and taught in parochial schools in the Portland Archdiocese until 1959.
She taught at Mount Angel Academy and Kennedy High School in Mount Angel. She continued her education, receiving a master of science in general science and a Ph.D. in science education from Oregon State University in Corvallis.
In 1965, while she was teaching at Kennedy High School, she was named Oregon Biology Teacher of the Year by the National Association of Biology Teachers.
In 1972, Sister Corinne began teaching at California State University in Fresno. She served there as Biology Department Director of Teacher Education Program in Life/Physical Science. She was highly respected as a teacher and program director and received many awards and commendations, including two Meritorious Professor Awards.
In 1989, she participated in an Earthwatch Expedition doing research on giant clams in the Tongan Islands. She also participated in a research project in Antarctica, where she lived on a Russian icebreaker. After her retirement from full-time teaching, she continued to live in California, serving as a consultant on science projects, working in the Newman Center and assisting the local Vietnamese community. Sister Corinne was a member of the American Benedictine Academy and served as executive secretary for a term.
In 2001, she returned to the monastery and participated in community life until poor health necessitated special care at Clare Bridge in Salem and Providence Benedictine Nursing Center in Mount Angel, where she died. Sisters Donna Marie and Maureen were with her as she breathed her last breath.
Sister Corinne’s only brother preceded her in death. She is survived by several cousins, her Benedictine community and many friends. Services were in October.
