Ticonderoga, NY - Edward Hawthorne "Ted" Cornell, a celebrated Off-Broadway director turned civic-minded artist in New York's Adirondacks, died near his home in Wadhams, N.Y., on March 30, 2025, just days shy of his 81st birthday.

Born April 2, 1944, in Hartford, Conn., to Valentina Kudryvets and Sidney Cornell, Ted grew up in Woods Hole, Cape Cod, and the Boston suburbs. He graduated from Williams College in 1965 with a degree in philosophy and pursued directing at the Yale School of Drama, studying acting with Stella Adler and apprenticing in the professional company at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

His early directing career flourished at the New York Shakespeare Festival under Joseph Papp, where he became Artistic Director of The Other Stage. There he directed Charles Gordone's "No Place to Be Somebody", the first play by an African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He won an Obie Award in 1980 for directing the play "Johnny on a Spot".

In the early 1990s, Ted relocated to the Champlain Valley, bringing his artistry to the rural landscapes of Essex County. He painted prolifically and created large outdoor sculptures from salvaged materials, which he installed on his property, known locally as the Art Farm. In later years, an adjacent trail across his land became the Art Farm Trail, part of the Champlain Area Trails system. This trail remains open to the public.

Deeply committed to his adopted community, Ted served as president of the Wadhams Free Library Trustees, chairman of the Essex Planning Board, a founding member of the Diogenes Society, and board member of the Boquet River Association. He helped lead the restoration of the historic Whallonsburg Grange Hall, returning it to life as a cultural center for the valley.

A retrospective exhibition of his work, This Will Be Fun, was held in June 2024 at Whitcomb's Arts, a gallery space associated with the Whallonsburg Grange Hall.

He is survived by his sons Ethan and Noah Cornell; his partner, Kathryn Cramer; and former spouses Josie Poppy and Michelle Frezner Cornell. He was a strong influence on the lives of Kathryn Cramer's children, Peter and Ratio Hartwell.

He was laid to rest at the Spirit Sanctuary in Essex. Memorial donations may be made to the Whallonsburg Grange Hall, the Wadhams Free Library, or Champlain Area Trails.