Claybrook Cottingham
Encyclopedia
Claybrook C. Cottingham was an educator who served as president of both Baptist
-affiliated Louisiana College
in Pineville
and the public institution, Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston
, Louisiana
.
A son of George Cottingham and the former Louise Palmer, Cottingham was born in Ottoman
in Lancaster County
on the Atlantic
coast of Virginia. He was educated at Chesapeake Academy in Irvington
, Virginia. He received his Bachelor of Arts
and Master of Arts
degrees prior to 1902 from the University of Richmond
in Richmond
, Virginia, then known as Richmond College. He obtained the Doctor of Divinity
degree from Baylor University
in Waco
, Texas
. From 1900-1902, he was the assistant principal at his alma mater
, Chesapeake Academy.
He then moved to Louisiana to become from 1902-1905 professor of Greek
and philosophy
at the defunct Mount Lebanon College, sometimes called Mount Lebanon University, in Bienville Parish
, a forerunner to Louisiana College. Cottingham served as the last president of Mount Lebanon president from 1905–1906, when he became from 1906-1910 a founding professor of the new Louisiana College. He was the third Louisiana College president, with his tenure stretching from 1910–1941, when he accepted the highest position at Louisiana Tech, then known as Louisiana Polytechnic Institute. A world traveler, Cottingham was still serving at Louisiana Tech when he died at the age of sixty-eight while on a business trip to Mexico City, Mexico
.
On June 8, 1904, Cottingham married the former Myrtle Baker of Mount Lebanon, daughter of the merchant J. L. Baker and the former Mary Williamson. Their children were Mary Virginia (born 1906), Margaret Drew (born 1913), and Claybrook Baker Cottingham, Sr. (1915–1991). A Cottingham grandson, C. B. Cottingham, Jr. (1943–2008), who served in both the United States Army
and United States Air Force
during the 1970s, died at the age of sixty-five, a resident of Hanover
in Anne Arundel County
, Maryland
. A Baptist deacon, Cottingham was president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention
, based in Alexandria
, from 1914-1916. He was also a director of Rotary International
from 1930-1931.
The Cottinghams are interred at Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville. Lynn Edward May, Jr., wrote an unpublished dissertation on Cottingham entitled "Claybrook Cottingham: A Study of His Life and Work."
The Claybrook Cottingham Expressway (U.S. Route 167
) in Pineville is named in Cottingham's honor. A men's dormitory for honor students on the Louisiana Tech campus and a women's dormitory at Louisiana College are both named "Cottingham Hall" in his memory. The Louisiana Tech dormitory is adjacent to Richardson Hall, named for E.S. Richardson, Cottingham's predecessor as the Louisiana Tech president.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
-affiliated Louisiana College
Louisiana College
Louisiana College is a private institution of higher education located in Pineville, Louisiana, affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention, serving a student body of approximately 1,300 students. The college operates on a semester system, with two shorter summer terms...
in Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
and the public institution, Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
A son of George Cottingham and the former Louise Palmer, Cottingham was born in Ottoman
Ottoman, Virginia
Ottoman is an unincorporated community in Lancaster County in the U. S. state of Virginia....
in Lancaster County
Lancaster County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,567 people, 5,004 households, and 3,412 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 6,498 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...
on the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast of Virginia. He was educated at Chesapeake Academy in Irvington
Irvington, Virginia
Irvington is a town in Lancaster County, Virginia, United States. The population was 673 at the 2000 census and it is located on a peninsula of land known as the Northern Neck. It is the name also of a historic district....
, Virginia. He received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degrees prior to 1902 from the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia, then known as Richmond College. He obtained the Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree from Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. From 1900-1902, he was the assistant principal at his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, Chesapeake Academy.
He then moved to Louisiana to become from 1902-1905 professor of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the defunct Mount Lebanon College, sometimes called Mount Lebanon University, in Bienville Parish
Bienville Parish, Louisiana
Bienville Parish is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Arcadia and as of the 2000 census, the population is 15,752....
, a forerunner to Louisiana College. Cottingham served as the last president of Mount Lebanon president from 1905–1906, when he became from 1906-1910 a founding professor of the new Louisiana College. He was the third Louisiana College president, with his tenure stretching from 1910–1941, when he accepted the highest position at Louisiana Tech, then known as Louisiana Polytechnic Institute. A world traveler, Cottingham was still serving at Louisiana Tech when he died at the age of sixty-eight while on a business trip to Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
On June 8, 1904, Cottingham married the former Myrtle Baker of Mount Lebanon, daughter of the merchant J. L. Baker and the former Mary Williamson. Their children were Mary Virginia (born 1906), Margaret Drew (born 1913), and Claybrook Baker Cottingham, Sr. (1915–1991). A Cottingham grandson, C. B. Cottingham, Jr. (1943–2008), who served in both the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
during the 1970s, died at the age of sixty-five, a resident of Hanover
Hanover, Maryland
Hanover, Maryland is a locality in unincorporated northwestern Anne Arundel County, Maryland in the United States, located south of Baltimore near the Howard County line....
in Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. A Baptist deacon, Cottingham was president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention
Louisiana Baptist Convention
The Louisiana Baptist Convention is an association of Baptist churches in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Convention is composed of approximately 1,595 member congregations representing 869,490 members ....
, based in Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, from 1914-1916. He was also a director of Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
from 1930-1931.
The Cottinghams are interred at Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville. Lynn Edward May, Jr., wrote an unpublished dissertation on Cottingham entitled "Claybrook Cottingham: A Study of His Life and Work."
The Claybrook Cottingham Expressway (U.S. Route 167
U.S. Route 167
U.S. Route 167 runs for 499 miles from Ash Flat, Arkansas at U.S. Route 62 to Abbeville, Louisiana at Louisiana Highway 14. It goes through the cities of Little Rock, Arkansas, Alexandria, Louisiana, and Lafayette, Louisiana....
) in Pineville is named in Cottingham's honor. A men's dormitory for honor students on the Louisiana Tech campus and a women's dormitory at Louisiana College are both named "Cottingham Hall" in his memory. The Louisiana Tech dormitory is adjacent to Richardson Hall, named for E.S. Richardson, Cottingham's predecessor as the Louisiana Tech president.