Roll Call Tribute

Linda Gay Cornelius
October 28, 1956 ~ June 22, 2021

Linda Gay Cornelius, 64, of Franklin, TX, passed away on June 22, 2021. Services are in the care of Callaway-Jones Funeral and Cremation Centers.

Obituary is forthcoming.

The City of Bryan has announced the Parks & Recreation and Facilities Director Linda Cornelius has passed after a battle with cancer.

Cornelius was named to her position in October of 2017 and according to a release from the City of Bryan was instrumental in leading several high-profile initiatives, including the opening of the City Course at the Phillips Event Center, construction of Edgewater Park, the completion of the Sale Park Depot, construction of the Camelot Park bridge, creation of the Veterans Section of the Bryan City Cemetery, and planning for Travis Bryan Midtown Park and the Legends Event Center.

“Linda truly will be missed as a strong and caring individual who was passionate about parks and recreation, but even more passionate about people,” said Deputy City Manager Hugh Walker. “She treasured her employees and felt a strong obligation to make every citizen’s life better by enhancing quality of life.”

To honor her life and legacy, the Bryan City Council passed a resolution to name one of the fields at Travis Fields ballpark after Cornelius.

Throughout her career, Cornelius worked with the Cities of Highland Village, Boerne, San Antonio and College Station. She had more than 30 years of leadership in the parks & recreation field in Texas.

Cornelius graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education. During college she was a four-time All-American and letter winner in track and was a member of the 1980 United States Olympic Team, according to a release from the City of Bryan.

She was the first woman inducted into the Texas A&M Hall of Fame in 1988 and honored in the Texas A&M University Sports Museum Hall of Legends. Cornelius also received the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (T.A.A.F) Presidents Award in 1991, 1993, and 2010 and was inducted into the T.A.A.F Hall of Fame for Parks and Recreation Administrative and Athletic Achievements in 1997. In 2014 she received the Texas Recreation and Parks Society Presidents Award.

“Linda was a rare individual who excelled on and off the field – she is a legend,” Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson said. “We continue to pray for Linda and her family.”

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