Cordelia Elizabeth Carter, a community activist and highly respected musician, died Sunday at the age of 96 at Rochester Community Hospital.

People who knew her in Auburn, where she lived most of her life, remembered Carter for her humble generosity, as well as her devotion to the Thompson Memorial AME Zion Church and to music.

"She always put out a willing hand, but did it in a quiet way," said Richardson, one of many children who grew up learning music from Carter at the church. Another was Sean McLeod, an internationally renowned performer who runs the New York Institute of Dance and Education in Auburn.

"She was the first person to give me an opportunity in performance," McLeod said.

He remembers going to Carter's home on Parker Street each week for piano lessons. She would talk about her experiences playing music in the South during the civil rights movement. He said many of the stories she told him did not sink in until he was adult.

As a kid, he was probably more impressed with her chocolate chip cookies. "She was always baking something," he said.

Carter came to Auburn in 1926 for a vacation and didn't leave until she was 91. She met her late husband, Reginald, while in Auburn.

In addition to directing the choir at AME Zion, Carter served as the church's treasurer and president of the Stewardess' Board. She also served on the boards of the Booker T. Washington Community Center and the Harriet Tubman Music Booster Club.

McLeod said Carter's musical abilities and knowledge were remarkable.

"She taught me an incredible amount of music," he said. "If I had paid nearly as much attention to her as she did to me, I would be a virtuoso on piano."