Abbie Copps was, and still is, a very important asset to Olivet College. She inspired numerous students and staff while at Olivet College. Her inspiring nature led to the founding of the Abbie Copps Poetry Contest, by Professor Leo Hendrick and Librarian George Hanson.
Abbie Maryette Copps was born in Chateaugay,
New York, on April 29, 1893. After finishing high school she attended college at Potsdam State Normal and attended teaching school at Elmira College, where she graduated with her Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree.
Dr. Antoinette Green, one of Abbie’s former teachers, brought her to Olivet College. Abbie was a literature professor at Olivet College when it reopened after World War I, beginning in 1920. Abbie spent her entire teaching career at Olivet College and was a member
of the Olivet College staff for fourty-eight years. She was fondly referred to as “Teacher Copps” by her students. Abbie eventually became the chairman of the English Department.
In 1927, Abbie took leave from Olivet to earn a Ph.D degree in Philosophy at Cornell University. At Cornell she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi. Abbie was awarded the degree, Doctor of Letters, at Olivet College in 1946.
In her spare time she was a very active member in all things Olivet College; she wrote a history of the college from 1920 to 1944. She also participated in a Writer’s Conference during the Brewer Era and was an honorary member of most of the societies at Olivet. Abbie ended her teaching career in 1968; she was given the title of “Professor Emeritus” by the trustees of the college.
Near the end of her life Abbie was moved into the
home of some of her closest friends, Professor James W. Bowers and his wife, where she could rest and be taken care of without having to worry. Abbie Copps died in their home on Friday, July 13, 1973, at the age of eighty.
Abbie was a poet for many years and won several awards for her poems. She is still recognized today for plenty of her accomplishments. This recognition occurred
when the Abbie Copps English Literature Fund was founded; a tree was also planted in the Olivet College Square, and the annual Abbie M. Copps Poetry Contest was founded in her honor.
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