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Sister Jerome Corcoran appeals for Alzheimer’s research at HOF induction
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Sister Jerome Corcoran wants your brain.
Or, more accurately, the “Little Nun Who Gets Things Done” wants you to donate your gray matter (after you die) to the researchers and scientists trying to better understand and find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
The Youngstown-area nun already has filled out the paperwork to donate her brain after she dies.
“I know that wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, my little brain is going to be working,” Sister Jerome said. “All of us know the sad condition of disease among middle-aged or elderly that Alzheimer’s has caused. All of us and our families have been affected by these symptoms that really tear people apart and tear families all apart. ... What Alzheimer’s needs now more than anything else is extensive research – the causes the factors, the futures, the medication.”
The nun, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday, offered the comments Thursday at the Statehouse, where she was among 10 Ohioans inducted in the state’s Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.
The hall is open to Ohioans 60 or older who were born in the state or lived here at least a decade. This year’s nominees ranged in age from 64 to 100.
Sister Jerome is a Chicago native who moved to the Youngstown area as a child. She later entered a convent and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Catholic University of Ohio and a doctorate from Case Western University, going on to teach classes at several universities.
For decades, she has been involved in numerous initiatives to assist needy children and adults.
Sister Jerome recently retired from Sister Jerome’s Mission, which she founded and ran, but she continues to tutor residents at the Community Corrections Association.
“She combined her love of education with her passion to help those less fortunate to become one of the area’s best-known and most-influential advocates,” said Jacqi Bradley, executive director of the Area Agency on Aging 3 in Lima.
Sister Jerome thanked the Area Agency on Aging, her parents, family and friends “all the people who have donated to my causes for the poor and in education” and her Ursuline Sisters community.
Among other inductees was Annie Glenn, wife of astronaut and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn. Earlier this week, lawmakers finalized legislation designating Feb. 17 as Annie Glenn Communication Disorders Awareness Day.