16/03/2023
Former editor remembered.
“Robert Steele Corya, 93, died on Sunday, March 5, after enjoying – immensely - a long and amazing life. Born June 29, 1929, in Long Beach California, and weighing over 10 pounds, his mother (at 4 feet, 11 inches) insisted for years that his birth had been the trigger for an earthquake that occurred soon after. Robert greatly loved his dear wife, Marian. He was friendly to all, and a friend to many. He learned ethics, morality, and honesty from his parents, particularly his father, Richard. He learned fair play from his many childhood friends, among them Irving Thomas, George Spradling, Bob Brenton, Robert Copple, Donald Henkle, and Hugh Moreillon. Growing up, he spent many hours at Ellenberger Park – playing, sledding, and exploring the creek and trails. He began triking at 3 and biking at 6, and he was still biking into his 90’s.
He attended P.S. 57, Howe High School, and Butler University, and he earned a BA degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, where he became a dormitory counsellor for 60 students in the Men’s Residence Center. He met his first wife, Betty, at IU, and was married to her from 1958 to 1981. They leave 4 children (Sara Corya, Thomas Corya, Suzanne Corya Russell, and Adam Corya), 11 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. As a journalist, Robert was employed at the Hagerstown (Indiana) Exponent, Richmond (Indiana) Palladium-Item, United Press International, and the Indianapolis News. He worked at Polar Ice Co., Model Ice Cream Co., Wm H Block Co, and Eli Lilly and Company during the summers.
While at the Indianapolis News he was named Headline Writer of the Year in 1961 and was honored by the Indiana State Medical Association in 1967 for excellence in writing a series on mental health facilities in corporations. In 1947, when Robert was a high school senior, he and 4 classmates enlisted in the US Naval Reserve. He re-enlisted in 1950 and served during the Korean War aboard the USS Monongahela, a tanker, where he was an adept helmsman, especially when fueling aircraft carriers and other ships while underway. On one occasion, he and the rest of the crew were delivering aviation gasoline to Greenland, and they encountered 50 knot winds and 60 -foot waves. Robert was nearly thrown overboard but saved himself by grabbing a rope and hanging on for dear life. During another excursion, this time as the ship was sailing through the Strait of Messina, a strong current in this narrow waterway led to conditions so dire that the crew was afraid they couldn’t successfully navigate through the passage without wrecking. It was the middle of the night, and they woke up Robert to take the helm. He was also good at the helm of cars and was selected as the driver for the ship’s captain and officers when they went ashore in various ports. In 1978 Robert was elected president of the Society of American Business and Economic Writers.
He was especially grateful to the late Eugene S Pulliam, P.E. MacAllister, Edwin O’Neal, Harlen Hudson, and Richard O. Ristine. After retiring from the News (where he was the Business Editor) in 1985, Robert backpacked much of the Appalachian Trail, solo canoed the entire Wabash River, skied 25 mountains in North America with the Indianapolis Ski Club, and drove over a million accident-free miles, including driving twice to and from Alaska. He rode in 20 Hilly Hundreds, 14 N.I.T.E. rides (Navigate Indy This Evening), 2 RAGBRAI’s (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), 2 TOSRVS (Tour of the Scioto River Valley in Ohio), all the rail trails in Indiana, and many in 7 other states. He was a member of the Central Indiana Bicycling Association and the Indianapolis Hiking Club, walking more than 10,200 miles. One of his longer bike excursions was to Kaskaskia, IL, then to Daniel Boone’s home in Defiance, MO, and back. A lover of animals, Robert was known to – on many occasions – stop traffic to ensure that turtles and other wildlife were able to cross safely. In his later years he continued to be an avid biker and hiker, spending a great deal of time at Eagle Creek Park. Robert traveled to and loved Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Italy, England, Scotland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria. He led 12 biking tours for good friend Bill McBride in 1994 in France, Italy, and Austria. He and Bill shared a love of operas, and he was even known to leave the country to see a good opera. Closer to home, Robert planted hundreds of trees, supported numerous nature/environmental organizations and animal preservation groups. Robert’s family and close friends remember his pragmatism, great sense of humor, compassion for those less fortunate than he, eternal sense of optimism, and love of nature and the great outdoors. Robert is buried at Salem Cemetery in Zionsville, IN. The family is planning a Celebration of Life to be held this spring.”
