Dr. Lafayette Cox

Lafayette Hughes Cox

August 20, 1931

June 14, 2015

SHREVEPORT, LA - The Reverend Dr. Lafayette Hughes Cox, 83, of Shreveport, passed away June 14, 2015 at Memorial Hermann Heart/Vascular Institute in Houston, Texas. He was born in Columbus, Indiana, on August 20, 1931 to The Reverend Jasper Hughes Cox and Georgia Lorraine Carr Cox.

Dr. Cox was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Centenary College where he taught for 34 years, retiring in 2001. He began his teaching career in 1960 at High Point College, High Point, North Carolina. Following a position at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, Professor Cox came to Centenary in 1967 as Chairman of the Philosophy Department.

Dr. Cox was a graduate of Hammond High School, Hammond, Indiana. In 1953 he was graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana. At Wabash Professor Cox was elected to Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternity and was a member of Phi Delta Theta social fraternity. He then attended Boston University School of Theology where he earned his Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1956. He continued his education at Yale University where he earned an MA and a Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology and graduated in 1963.

Dr. Cox enjoyed a productive research and teaching career. Highlights include presenting at a conference in Gujarat, India, and at the 1998 World Congress of Philosophy, in Boston. He received several grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation. He and his family were part of the exchange program between Centenary College and Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

After retiring from Centenary College Dr. Cox was a Volunteer Chaplain at LSUHSC in Shreveport. He was always a voracious reader, and remained active in research and writing following retirement. He loved to travel and continued to do so as long as he was able. In 2010 he received an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) or mechanical heart pump. He served as an LVAD ambassador to health care professionals and heart patients alike helping to improve the lives of others with heart disease.

Dr. Cox was preceded in death by his parents and his brother The Reverend Marion Case Cox. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Judith Ellen Meyer Cox of Shreveport, two sons, Dr. Thomas Hughes Cox, of The Woodlands, Texas, and Mr. Matthew David Cox of Bossier City, his brother Dr. John Woolman Cox and wife Darcy of Inverness, Illinois, his sister-in-law Theodora (Teddi) Cox of Peekskill, New York, sisters and brothers-in-law Professor George William Horton Jr. and wife Johanna of Jacksonville, Illinois, Dr. Thomas Meyer and wife Kay of Ames, Iowa, and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express their appreciation to Catherine Fitzsimmons, the LVAD Coordinator at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and to Dr. Herbert Master of Shreveport.

A Memorial Service will be held Monday, July 6, 2015 at 11:00 at Broadmoor United Methodist Church. The Reverends Ken Irby and Kathy Wafer will officiate. Memorial gifts can be made to the L. Hughes Cox Endowed Scholarship Fund at Centenary College or a charity of the donor's choice.