Robert Milo Cotts

1927 - 2016

Cotts, Robert Milo

Robert Milo Cotts died on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, at Kendal at Ithaca. He was 88. Bob was born August 22, 1927 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to Milo and Myrtle Cotts. He was predeceased by his older brother, Russell Cotts and his younger brother, Lloyd Cotts, his son, David Robert Cotts, and his wife of 64 years, Barbara Meyer Cotts. When Bob graduated from Green Bay West High School in 1945, boys were sent to serve in the military. Bob's physics teacher did encourage him to take the Navy's radio technician selection test (the infamous Eddy Test) for the electronics training program at Navy Pier in Chicago. He passed and found intense, challenging study in mathematics, basic electronics, learning how a radio worked, how Sonar and Radar worked, and how to test the full range of equipment on a ship and make repairs when needed. Bob said that after a year, he and some friends who had also stuck it out in the Navy's program went up to Northwestern University on a weekend, "We didn't write ahead, we just went. To our surprise, the buildings were open and so were the classrooms inside. Just being able to walk around, sit in a classroom and write some equations on the blackboard was fun! We thought, how lucky these college students are! Our lives changed that day." Bob decided to go to college and study electronics engineering. He enrolled at the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1946, where he found his love for physics and for Barbara Ann Meyer, whom he met during freshman orientation. They were married the day after they graduated. Then they got on a train to California, where Bob pursued PhD studies in physics at the University of California at Berkeley, and postdoctoral studies at Stanford University. Whenever they could, Barbara and Bob would spend time in the Sierra Nevada mountains, cultivating their interest in the outdoors. While interviewing for positions as an assistant professor, it was a walk to Taughannock Falls, which reminded him of the waterfalls of his beloved Yosemite Valley, and convinced him that Ithaca was the place. Bob joined the physics faculty of Cornell University in 1957, and worked at the Cornell Center for Materials Research. He said, "I was lucky to have had a job I loved. I enjoyed research very much, and teaching, even more". Bob was awarded the Clark Distinguished Teaching Award from Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences. His research used Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to observe the behavior of hydrogen in metals, and other materials. Bob's students remember him as a great adviser and a gentle and kind person who shaped their lives in many ways. Bob modeled a strong work ethic and a belief that study and thought would open endless possibilities. Whether it was the annual camping trips to Rollins Pond in the Adirondacks, family picnics at upper Buttermilk State Park, or taking the Springer Spaniels for their morning walk down the abandoned railroad tracks on South Hill, Bob never lost his love for the outdoors. At home on Northview Road, Barbara was a dedicated gardener and Bob assisted as under-gardener and handyman. He and Barbara spent multiple sabbaticals in Cambridge, England where Bob was a fellow at Clare College. They enjoyed traveling and photographing gardens all over the UK. Bob is survived by three sons, Eric (Madeleine Visek Cotts) of Vestal, NY, Stuart (Stephanie Butler) of Ashland, OR, and Steven (Pamela Young) of Greenfield Center, NY. He is also survived by four grandchildren, Kristen Cotts, Nathaniel Graden-Cotts (Laura Graden-Cotts), Sheldon Cotts (Kaila Lee), and Benjamin Cotts. A memorial service for Bob will be held at 2:00 PM on June 12 at Kendal at Ithaca. Donations in memory of Bob may be made to the Alzheimers Foundation of America or to the Cornell University physics department. The family would like to thank the staff at Kendal, especially those at Cascadilla House, for their kind care.