Born November 10, 1905, Anamosa, Iowa; died February 23, 2000, Dubuque, Iowa. Distinguished author, professor, and member of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Wilma Abigail Corcoran, born on November 10, 1905, was the eldest of two daughters of Augustine D. Corcoran, a noted archaeologist, and his wife, Anna Conmey Corcoran, of Anamosa, Iowa. After graduating from Anamosa High School in 1923, Wilma attended Clarke College, formerly Mount St. Joseph College, in Dubuque, Iowa, graduating in 1927 with a Baccalaureate of Art in English. The following year, 1928, she entered the order of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (B.V.M.), taking the name Sister Mary Irma. Continuing her education, Sr. Irma received a Master of Arts degree in 1931 from Columbia University, New York, where she specialized in the English Renaissance, and in 1945 she received her Ph. D. in English from Catholic University of America. From 1930 to 1972 she was a professor of English at Mundelein College, and served as the advisor for literary publications at Mundelein for twenty years. In 1946 she was an exchange professor at Clarke College, and from 1957 to 1961 she taught in the Catholic University of America summer Master's program at both the Mid-west branch and the Washington, D.C., campus. The summer of 1968 saw Sr. Corcoran participating as a teacher in Florida A & M University's Upward Bound program. After retiring from Mundelein College in 1972, she taught speech and drama at St. Agatha elementary school. Her experience as a B.V.M. included the Freedom March in Montgomery, Alabama, assisting contract buyers in Lawndale, and collecting clothing for the poor. Sr. Corcoran passed away on February 23, 2000, at the age of 95.
From the description of Irma Corcoran, BVM, papers, 1876-2000. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 51981833
