Beloved pastor will be missed

Teacher known for hugs, heart

By Joanna Massey, Globe Staff Correspondent, 12/2/2001

eter Corea hugged everybody.

Those who knew him say he couldn't help himself - like his mother, open arms were an extension of an open heart. That heart slowed in recent years, in function but not in spirit, and on Thanksgiving morning, it finally gave out. With his death at age 77, the City of Quincy lost a beloved teacher and one of its longest-serving ministers.

With his wife, Alicia, as copastor, Corea served the Houghs Neck Congregational Church for 54 years. He also taught psychology and philosophy at dozens of Boston-area colleges, primarily at Emerson College, where during the 1980s he led the fight to keep the school's campus in Boston.

A devoted educator, Corea's courses over 37 years became an essential part of the Emerson experience. He fulfilled his wish to ''die with [his] boots on'' and was teaching and preaching as recently as early November. His biggest disappointment, said his wife, was not being able to finish out the semester.

A Woburn native and graduate of Boston University and Andover Newton Theological School, Corea disliked competition and favored music over sports because ''in an orchestra, you're never a bench-warmer.'' In recent months, he had been reading the Koran in an effort to make connections between the Christian and Muslim faiths.

''He was a brilliant man and an amazing preacher,'' said Carol Lee Griffin, a former assistant superintendent of schools in Quincy who grew up in Corea's parish. ''He could take concepts from psychology, theology and philosophy and put them together in a way that was accessible and different from anyone else. He was always teaching.''

And always learning, say others who knew him.

''He used to tell me how much he loved reading his students' papers because he always learned something,'' said Jon Iarrobino, an Emerson alumni who served as Corea's teaching assistant in the late '90s. ''He absolutely lived for his students and always listened to them and encouraged them to be who they are. The amount of students he inspired and touched over the years is just unbelievable.''

They include the famous like Jay Leno and Jason Alexander, as well as dozens of members of the Boston entertainment and communications industries, such as broadcasters Susan Wornick and Sara Edwards. But perhaps closer to Corea's heart were the generation of Houghs Neck students in Quincy he helped attend college through generous scholarship funds.

''There were dozens of kids who wouldn't have gone to school if it wasn't for the Coreas,'' said Uncle Sam Roundesville, who was 9 years old when the Coreas came to his church in 1947. Roundesville said Corea, his lifelong mentor, gave him a check for $5,000 when he needed money to buy his first house in 1968. ''He gave away so much to help anyone who needed it. They would give you their last nickel, and I mean that.''

In addition to his first love of education, Corea also was dedicated to the causes of health care and affordable housing. During 10 years on the Quincy Housing Authority, he led the development of at least four elderly housing complexes. City Councilor at Large Frank McCauley said Corea also helped professionalize the city's hospital during many years on its management board.

''He was a prominent figure in the city,'' McCauley said. ''He was a constant source of help not only to members of his church, but all citizens.''

To the Houghs Neck neighborhood, Corea and his wife have been what one resident called ''living saints.''

''They made the church like family,'' said Sandra McCauley, Frank's wife. She said Corea married their three daughters and baptized six of their grandchildren. ''He was so great with the young people. They all called him by his first name.''

Alicia Corea, herself one of the first ordained female ministers in New England, said her husband cared about people in a way few others do.

''If you're walking down the street and run into someone who says their wife isn't doing well, most people will say `Oh, that's too bad,''' she said. ''But Peter would say `What happened? Where is she? What can we do to help?'''

Boston television broadcaster Susan Wornick is one of Corea's former students who was inspired by his generosity and concern.

''He's the reason I have a career,'' Wornick said. ''I was ready to drop out and he was the one who made me reconsider. I think it's really important people know how dedicated he was to individuals. That is what his legacy will be.''

Jacqueline Liebergott, president of Emerson College, echoed that sentiment.

''Peter probably taught every student who has been through here in the past 37 years,'' she said. ''And he really cared about their success. He kept in touch with many of them after they graduated and continued to support them throughout their lives.''

Corea's son, William, called his father ''the most brilliant man I know.''

''He had an opinion on everything and that's what I'll miss most,'' he said. ''When he would hug people, which he always did, it was interesting to see the effect it would have on them. It's such a simple act, but with him, it had huge repercussions. That was his style. He knew so many people just want a hug.''

Joanna Massey can be reached by e-mail at massey@globe.com.

This story ran on page 8 of the Boston Globe's South Weekly section on 12/2/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.