Joseph T. Cox, celebrated former headmaster of the Haverford School and decorated 30-year Army veteran, has died at 80
“He had an incredible way of making sure every student knew they mattered,” a former Haverford student said on Facebook.
Joseph T. Cox, 80, formerly of Haverford, celebrated former headmaster of the Haverford School, decorated 30-year Army veteran, former associate professor of English at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., author, poet, mentor, and volunteer, died Thursday, Oct. 8, of complications from dementia at Echo Lake assisted living center in Malvern.
Born in Springfield, Mass., Dr. Cox joined the Army after college, served in Vietnam and stateside, rose to colonel, and taught English to cadets at West Point for more than 14 years. He joined the Haverford School in 1998 as its eighth headmaster and, until he retired in 2013, championed servant leadership, compassion, and enhanced student engagement at the all-boys school on Lancaster Avenue.
“When I was a battalion commander, I had 660 young men to work with,” Dr. Cox told The Inquirer in 2011. “And then I came [to the Haverford School] and had 893 young men to work with. They have amazing character, and they make [the job] worthwhile.”
A former Haverford student said recently on Facebook: “He had an incredible way of making sure every student knew they mattered.”
In a tribute, former colleagues at the Haverford School praised his “extraordinary leadership, his unwavering dedication to Haverford, and the lasting impact he had on generations of Fords.”
Dr. Cox lived on the school grounds at Haverford and taught senior English classes for several years. “I think my being in the classroom sends a message that teaching is the most important part of the school,” he told The Inquirer when he was hired.
He went on to establish a student honor code and mentorship program, and a modern teacher evaluation process. He oversaw new campus construction and was a fixture at sports games and other events.
» READ MORE: Dr. Cox reads his poetry at the Air Force Academy
He had the words “respect,” “honesty,” and “courage” stamped onto the football team uniforms, and was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2013 for “special recognition.”
In 2011, a Haverford colleague praised his “forward thinking.” A student said then: “That’s his most important quality, his approachability.”
In 2010, Haverford School donors established the Joseph T. Cox Servant Leadership Symposium. In 2013, they founded the Joseph T. Cox Leadership Scholarship Fund.
He also served as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools and secretary of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition. He was active with the Lafayette College Board of Trustees and the City Year Philadelphia education nonprofit.
» READ MORE: Dr. Cox announces his retirement from Haverford
After Haverford, he mentored graduate students in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Education and was headmaster briefly at the La Jolla Country Day Upper School in San Diego. At West Point, he also coached the sprint football team, was officer representative to the men’s lacrosse team, and founded a Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter.
Before West Point, Dr. Cox was a ranger and a paratrooper, and he commanded a battalion in the 101st Airborne Division in Kentucky. He earned the Legion of Merit and two Bronze Stars.
A former West Point cadet said on Facebook: “The world was a better place because of Joe Cox’s leadership.”
As a writer, Dr. Cox’s 282-page book, The Written Wars: American War Prose Through the Civil War, was published in 1995. His poetry appeared in journals, magazines, and elsewhere, and his 50-page collection, Garden’s Close, was published in 2002.
» READ MORE: A Most Unusual Man: Joseph T. Cox, 1946-2026
He wrote several opinion essays for The Inquirer and said in 2011: “We need to develop an understanding of masculinity that respects the emotional lives of boys and men, recognizing their demonstrations of emotional depth as natural and, in the long run, healthy.”
On Facebook, a friend called him “one of the greatest men I’ve ever known.”
Joseph Thomas Cox was born July 31, 1946. He played track and field, and football at a technical high school in Massachusetts, and briefly considered work as an engineer.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Lafayette College in 1968 and, following his father, joined the Army on an ROTC commission as a lieutenant. Later, while serving in North Carolina, he earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in 19th century American literature at the University of North Carolina.
» READ MORE: Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer
He married Joanne Shirk, and they had a son, Matt, and a daughter, Ansley. After a divorce, he married Kathy Stevenson, and they lived in Haverford, San Diego, Illinois, and Malvern.
Dr. Cox enjoyed camping, hiking, fishing, and photography. He and his wife traveled often, and his home library was extensive.
“He was extremely compassionate,” his son said. “He was a role model. He had standards. You knew what they were, and he would help you get there if you were willing to work.”
In addition to his children and wife, Dr. Cox is survived by five grandchildren and other relatives. His former wife died earlier.
A celebration of his life is to be at 2 p.m., Monday, Nov. 16, at the Haverford School, 450 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, Pa. 19041. He is to be interred later at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Donations in his name may be made to the Joseph T. Cox Leadership Scholarship Fund, The Haverford School, 450 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, Pa. 19041, Attn: Palmer House.
