Karen Hadley Copp

July 1, 1937 - September 8, 2021

Dr. Karen Hadley Copp, age 84, of Winter Springs, Florida, passed away on September 8, 2021. Karen was born on July 1, 1937, in Lillington, North Carolina, the daughter of John Allen and Frances (Harris) Walker. She is survived by her son Aaron (Ariel Pierce), Bronx, NY; and daughter Jennifer Copp, Winter Springs, FL; grandchildren: Ethan Copp, Natalie Pierce and Sophia Copp; brother & sister in-law John Allen (Jessie Anna) Walker, Jr., Fernandina Beach, FL; and nephews: John Allen Walker III, Clinton, CT; and Jason Hadley Walker, Fernandina Beach, FL. Dr. Copp was graduated from Wake Forest University (BS), The University of Nebraska (MA), and The Ohio State University (PhD). She served in arts administration at Seminole State College from 1988 until her retirement in 2007, first as Cultural Arts Coordinator and later as Department Chair. She continued to teach at Seminole State as an adjunct lecturer until May of 2020. Dr. Copp had a profound influence on students during her more than 30 years at Seminole State, many of whom remained friends. Before her employment at Seminole, she had previously been on the faculties of the State University of New York at Cortland, and Tompkins-Cortland Community College. Dr. Copp was one of the founders of both the Seminole Cultural Arts Council and the Orlando Theater Project, and was on the board of the Helen Stairs Theater in Sanford. She was a longtime member of United Arts of Central Florida. In the 1960s, while living in upstate New York, she was among the co-founders and directors of a very successful community theater group called The Dryden Footlighters. The Footlighters were a model of partnerships between towns, schools, and community organizations, and Karen was the primary director for most of the first twenty years of the group’s existence. Karen was a lifelong, fierce Democrat, and was a passionate believer in education and in community colleges in particular. She was thrilled recently by the elevation of a fellow community college educator, Dr. Jill Biden, to First Lady of the United States. She was tough and fair, and was respected by all who knew her. Karen was preceded in death by her late husband James Calvin Copp, who passed away in 1983. Plans for a memorial are pending at this time. The family of Dr. Karen Hadley Copp invites you to leave a message of condolence on the Tribute Wall created in her memory.