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Cora Bessie Trimble Cornelius

Birth	:	25 Feb 1915 Interior, Jackson County, South Dakota, USA
Death	:	30 Nov 2002 Wounded Knee, Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, USA
Burial	:	Cornelius Family Plot, Pine Ridge, Oglala Lakota County, USA
Description	:	Bessie Trimble Cornelius, artist and educator, died November 30, at the age of 87. She was born February 25, 1915 to Lucy Randall Trimble and Guy Trimble, at Interior, South Dakota. Bessie was married to John Lionel Cornelius, Sr., who preceded her in death. The winner of the 2000 Indian Living Treasure Award, Bessie was recognized for a lifetime of sharing her many talents and abilities with others. While Bessie is widely remembered as a premier educator, teaching legions of children how to cook, sew & manage household resources, & legions of adults a wide variety of arts & crafts,... Read More	Bessie Trimble Cornelius, artist and educator, died November 30, at the age of 87. She was born February 25, 1915 to Lucy Randall Trimble and Guy Trimble, at Interior, South Dakota. Bessie was married to John Lionel Cornelius, Sr., who preceded her in death. The winner of the 2000 Indian Living Treasure Award, Bessie was recognized for a lifetime of sharing her many talents and abilities with others. While Bessie is widely remembered as a premier educator, teaching legions of children how to cook, sew & manage household resources, & legions of adults a wide variety of arts & crafts, from basic homemaking skills, to upholstery, beading, quilting, needlework, knitting & woodworking, she is also famous for her quilts, with examples displayed in several museums & private collections. Bessie fostered many artists, in a number of mediums, including oil paintings, water colors, charcoal drawing, wood sculpture, & pottery. And she believed that art was also expressed through the use of fabrics in both sacred and profane presentations - quilts, wall hangings, clothes & decorations. She was one of those responsible for the revival of the Lakota Star quilt in the 50s and 60s. Among the many talents she shared with friends and family were her gourmet cooking & outstanding clothing designs. When Blue Cloud Abbey was established in Marvin, South Dakota, Bessie wove the cloth for and designed some of the Abbey vestments. She counted reading a wide variety of subjects among her many delights & accomplishments. For many years, Bessie worked for the State University of South Dakota as a Home Extension Agent & as Director of the Oglala Sioux Tribe's Home Management program. Her early career included an instruction at Pine Ridge Community School & she established the art program at Marty Indian School. While confined to a sanitarium with tuberculosis as a newlywed, she parlayed her ability to teach needlework & craft skills into a part-time position as an occupational therapist during part of her hospitalization. She founded two businesses, a food service & a quilting studio. Bessie served as an advisor to the Johnson Administration on the formulation of the War on Poverty & had, much earlier in her life, been a quest of Eleanor Roosevelt, when she was invited to tea at the White House as part of a tour during her youth. Bessie's formal education & lifelong love of books began at the age of 5 at Interior, & continued her schooling at the Rapid City Indian School & graduated from Haskell High School in Lawrence, Kansas. She attended Haskell Institute, Lawrence Kansas & the Studio, an American Indian Art Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at Chaco Canyon & Mesa Verde. She continued her studies over the years, taking courses at the University of Oklahoma & Colorado State University. She is survived by six children, an adopted son, 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. One daughter, Christine, preceded her in death. Bessie is also survived by two sisters and a brother. The remains will be interred in a private ceremony at the Cornelius Family Plot, Wolf Creek, SD.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Cora Bessie Trimble Cornelius's memorial?
Cora Bessie Trimble Cornelius's memorial is located at: Cornelius Family Plot, Pine Ridge, Oglala Lakota County, USA.
When did Cora Bessie Trimble Cornelius death?
Cora Bessie Trimble Cornelius death on 30 Nov 2002 in Wounded Knee, Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, USA