'A lot of love in this community for Peter Corr': Birthday salute to beloved Tauntonian

TAUNTON — Children at Taunton’s elementary and pre-schools have been enjoying free ice cream cones this week to help celebrate the birthday of a beloved longtime school board member, the late Peter Corr.

The city declared Sept. 3, Corr's birthday, to be Peter Corr Day. Corr, a longtime police officer and former city councilor, school committee member and TMLP commissioner, died Nov. 30, 2021 at the age of 84.

"If you know Peter Corr, and most people do, you know that he spent his life in service to his country and community,” Mayor Shaunna O'Connell said during a Council meeting on Aug. 30.

“Peter’s family wanted to do something for their dad, and in his memory, they organized Peter Corr Day.”

O’Connell said there is “a lot of love in this community for Peter Corr.”

“Even now, he is still smiling at children’s faces, and we will see that happening in the next few days,” she said.

As part of Peter Corr Day, schools handed out coupons to Taunton school children for redeeming at Kev's Ice Cream and Tom & Jimmy's to enjoy a free ice cream cone, Corr’s daughter Christine Bankson said.

‘Corr a beloved community figure’

O’Connell said Corr was a lifelong Taunton resident and  “a beloved community figure throughout his lifetime.”

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“Peter proudly served his county as a United States Marine and served the city as a Taunton Police officer for 23 years until his retirement,“ she said while reading a city proclamation of Peter Corr Day. “Peter was a dedicated servant over the years.”

O’Connell said Corr’s public service included serving on the city council, sewer commission, housing authority, retirement board, planning board, Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant, the Bristol Plymouth School Committee and the Taunton School Committee.

State Rep. Carol Doherty, D- Taunton, said Corr was her “seatmate, during almost all of my tenure on the school committee.”

“He was always ready with a joke,” she said. “He would always ask me how do you think I should vote on this. I was always glad to give him that good advice.”

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Doherty said state representatives and Speaker of the House Ron Mariano, D- Quincy, issued a citation in memory of Corr on Aug. 31.

“The entire membership extends its very best wishes and expresses the hope for future good fortune and continued success,” she said

‘An unbelievable public servant’

State Sen. Marc. Pacheco, D-Taunton, said Corr was “an unbelievable public servant in terms of looking out for the interests of every citizen in this community of ours.”

“He did that at some of the most difficult moments in people’s lives,” he said.

Pacheco said Corr “would be the first person in line” at a funeral home wake for someone he knew that died.

“A follow-up phone call was always happening (from Corr) right after that to make sure everybody was okay,” he said.

Pacheco said Corr’s priority was his family. He “found great gratification helping others and serving his community.”

“He served in the Korean War while in the United States Marine Corps,” he said. “He took great pride in being one of Taunton’s first community police officers. He forged ties with the residents and businesses in the downtown district that he was assigned to.”

Pacheco said Corr had “an influence on the youth of Taunton” while serving on the city’s school committee from 1997-2017 and developing a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp. (ROTC) program.

“He was instrumental in developing the (Junior)  ROTC program that thrives at the high school today,” he said. “He wanted to make sure that the young people had the opportunity to experience ROTC (Reserve Officers Training and understand the rights and privileges that we have in our society.”

Pacheco said Corr also coordinated fund raising drives for the Taunton-Brockton United Way, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and March of Dimes.

Peter Corr Day sponsors

Corr’s son Peter Corr Jr. said the tribute to his father was urged by Sherry Costa-Hanlon, a former city councilor, who “wanted to do something special for my father.”

“We went out and got sponsors to raise money for the ice cream,” he said during the meeting.

The sponsors include Tom & Jimmy’s Ice Cream, Kev’s Ice Cream, TSG Group DD, Taunton Democratic City Committee, Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant, Taunton Kiwanis Club, Taunton Education Association, Taunton Police Patrol Officers Union, Taunton Police Supervisors Union, and Lima’s Tae Kwon-Do.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton Peter Corr Day: City honors late school board member