Corde Helms Hanzlik

“While she loved athletics and expressing God through competition, it was her joy in learning more about spirituality that inspired her dedication to sports.”  Willard Hanzlik (C’68)

As a basketball and field hockey player, Corde treasured the balance of athleticism and spirituality encouraged by Principia coaches and players. She saw that Principia athletics offered unique opportunities to deepen her spirituality and that her spirituality afforded her the means to excel athletically. Sports, especially as she learned to play them at Principia, became a ready vehicle Corde used to share Christian Science with the children she coached and the athletes she played with and against. Her athletic training at Principia carried her onto tennis courts, golf courses, softball fields, and ultimately to her greatest love—being a Christian Science practitioner.

Corde’s dedication to young Christian Scientists, her church, and Principia is reflected in the many years and the numerous ways she contributed to several organizations in the Christian Science movement. Corde always thought about the higher purpose behind her activities, searching for “teachable” moments in whatever she did. Whether it was coaching, giving talks on Christian Science, teaching Sunday School, or receiving an award, she always sought ways to use her life to help others learn more about their unbroken relationship with God.