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'''Wilmer St. Clair Cody, Jr.''' (January 1, 1937 <ref name=mylife>Wilmer Cody (S), 85 - Dauphin Island, AL Public Reputation Profile at MyLife.com™</ref> – November 8, 2021), was a state superintendent of education in both [[Louisiana]] (1988-1992) as well as [[Kentucky]] (1995-1999).
'''Wilmer St. Clair Cody, Jr.''' (January 1, 1937 <ref name=mylife>Wilmer Cody (S), 85 - Dauphin Island, AL Public Reputation Profile at MyLife.com™</ref> – November 8, 2021), was a state superintendent of education in both [[Louisiana]] (1988-1992) as well as [[Kentucky]] (1995-1999).
==Background==
A native of [[Mobile]], [[Alabama]], he graduated from [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Massachusetts]], and held various positions in education for fifty years.
A native of [[Mobile]], [[Alabama]], he graduated from [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Massachusetts]], and held various positions in education for fifty years.
As the Louisiana state superintendent, he pushed successfully for performance standards throughout K-12 education. He was a program officer in the earliest days of the National Institute of Education and a longtime board member at the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Despite spirited opposition, he pushed for competency testing for public school teachers. Then [[Governor]] [[Buddy Roemer]] referred to Cody as "a brave man."<ref name=wscc/>
As the Louisiana state superintendent, he pushed successfully for performance standards throughout K-12 education. He was a program officer in the earliest days of the National Institute of Education and a longtime board member at the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Despite spirited opposition, he pushed for competency testing for public school teachers. Then [[Governor]] [[Buddy Roemer]] referred to Cody as "a brave man."<ref name=wscc/>
==Personal life==
Cody was married for fifty-eight years to the former Caroline Burns (1937-2016), who was born near Cullman, Alabama, the daughter of the Mobile County superintendent of education whom he met at Murphy High School in Mobile. She attended [[Boston College]], which her husband was at nearby Harvard.<ref>Dr Caroline Burns Cody (1937-2016) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed April 21, 2022.</ref> The Codys received death threats because they supported school [[Segregation|desegregation]] at a time when most white voters in Alabama were segregationists.<ref name=wscc>Wilmer St. Clair Cody Jr. (1937-2021) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed April 21, 2022.</ref> At various times, Cody piloted a small plane, sailed on [[Chesapeake Bay]], Mobile Bay, and Lake Pontchartrain, and built or rebuilt several wooden boats. A fisherman and hunter, he was a connoisseur of oysters.<ref name=wscc/>
Cody was married for fifty-eight years to the former Caroline Burns (1937-2016), who was born near Cullman, Alabama, the daughter of the Mobile County superintendent of education whom he met at Murphy High School in Mobile. She attended [[Boston College]], which her husband was at nearby Harvard.<ref>Dr Caroline Burns Cody (1937-2016) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed April 21, 2022.</ref> The Codys received death threats because they supported school [[Segregation|desegregation]] at a time when most white voters in Alabama were segregationists.<ref name=wscc>Wilmer St. Clair Cody Jr. (1937-2021) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed April 21, 2022.</ref> At various times, Cody piloted a small plane, sailed on [[Chesapeake Bay]], Mobile Bay, and Lake Pontchartrain, and built or rebuilt several wooden boats. A fisherman and hunter, he was a connoisseur of oysters.<ref name=wscc/>