Staff Reports
Newly-retired Judge Kathleen “Kitty” Coriden was honored as The Republic’s Woman of the Year for her trailblazing legal career and her dedication to helping children and families who come into contact with the county’s judicial system.
Coriden was honored at The Commons Thursday night before a socially-distanced group of about 100 people, including prior winners of the award, Coriden’s family and her Bartholomew Superior Court 2 staff members, who waved from the audience.
After being presented with the traditional “Woman of the Year” necklace from 2019 Woman of the Year Wendy Elwood, Coriden presented a $2,000 check to Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children in Bartholomew County (CASA), an organization that trains and provides volunteers to represent the interests of children involved in cases in the judicial system.
The Woman of the Year honor, begun by The Republic’s late Viva editor Jean Prather, recognizes often-unsung community leaders volunteering in a variety of arenas for the sake of others. Coriden is the 39th woman to receive the honor in a ceremony that was delayed from 2020 due to pandemic precautions.
Bud Hunt, group publisher and vice president for AIM Media Indiana that owns The Republic, introduced the previous winners of Woman of the Year, who received a resounding round of applause from the audience.
Coriden received a standing ovation as she made her way to the podium, where she thanked her family, the court staff and the previous winners, saying she was humbled to be among such a prestigious group of women.
In addition to Coriden’s court staff, the judges from the Bartholomew County Courthouse also attended the ceremony, including Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin, Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge Jim Worton, Bartholomew Superior Court 2 Judge Jon Rohde and Juvenile Court Magistrate Lindsey Holden Kay.
Coriden’s resume contains a number of significant firsts in Bartholomew County, including being the first female member of the Bartholomew County Bar Association and a founding member and past president of Legal Aid.
She served as a deputy prosecutor on her way to becoming Bartholomew Superior Court 2 Judge, serving for two terms after being appointed by the late Gov. Frank O’Bannon.
The Republic received a large number of nominations for Coriden, who retired from her judge position at the end of 2020, many who said they respected her not just for her legal skill and operation of the Superior 2 courtroom, but for her love of family and friends and of the community.
As one nomination put it, “Kitty has done much in her career, not the least of which as been a consistent advocacy for fair and humane justice. Her work early with the Bartholomew Legal Aid helped hundreds of people unable to afford counsel to navigate the legal system.
Former Magistrate Joe Meek, who also submitted a nomination form for Judge Coriden, described the judge as a trailblazer for being the first woman attorney in Bartholomew County, an innovator in her courtroom for streamlining processes relating to post conviction-relief, and a leader, serving as past president of the Bartholomew County School Foundation, past president of Zonta International and chair of the Bartholomew County Community Corrections Advisory Board.
As judge, Meek said, Coriden helped countless families and individuals solve the problems that brought them into the court system, describing her care and compassion for them as particularly noteworthy.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About Judge Kathleen "Kitty" Coriden” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Age: 73
City of residence: Columbus
Previous residences: Born in Toledo, Ohio. Moved to Pennsylvania in the fourth grade.
Career overview:
- Legal Aid of Bartholomew County — 1972 to June of 1976
- IV-D Deputy Prosecutor — January of 1977 to 1999
- Appointed judge of Bartholomew Superior Court 2 by Governor Frank O’Bannon — Served from 2000 to 2002
- Coriden Law Office — 2003 to 2008
- Elected judge of Bartholomew Superior Court 2 in 2008 — Has served from January of 2009 until her retirement at the end of 2020.
Education: Linesville High School, Linesville, Pa., 1965; B.A. from Mary Manse College, Toledo, Ohio in 1968; J.D. from University of Toledo in 1971; Indiana Judicial College, 2017.
Professional honors and associations: Indiana State Bar Association, Bartholomew County Community Corrections Board and EBDM forum.
Past honors and associations: Former co-chair of the Bartholomew County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee and former chair of the Education Sub-committee of the Court Alcohol and Drug Program Advisory Committee of the Indiana Judicial Center.
Community involvement: Prior to being on the bench, Coriden was involved with Y-Med, American Cancer Society, United Way and Advocates for Children. Her community work has also included involvement with the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation and Zonta International.
Family: Married to Terry Coriden with two children and four grandchildren.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About the award” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The Republic’s annual Woman of the Year award began in 1981. Each year, the newspaper recognizes one woman from Bartholomew County for her selflessness and dedication to making the community a better place.
The honoree receives a Woman of the Year necklace, presented by the previous year’s winner, and receives a donation in her name to the charity of her choice. Coriden donated her $2,000 to Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children in Bartholomew County (CASA).
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”For more photos” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
For more photos of the ceremony, go to therepublic.com.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
