David Charles Cox

David Cox (86) of Albany, passed May 3rd, 2023 at the Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House. He was born in Portland and was the only child of John Randolph and Mildred Evelyn (Fuge) Cox. The family lived in Sherwood and Hillsboro prior to moving to Albany in 1953.

David graduated from Albany Union High School in 1955 and matriculated to Oregon State College, where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. In 1959 he received his Bachelor of Science degree and became a commissioned officer in the United States Army Reserve.

David married his Albany high school sweetheart, Wilma May Yutzie, in 1959. He worked briefly at Snow Peak Dairy in Albany prior to being called to active duty with the U.S. Army Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Following his training there, he and Wilma lived in Bamberg, Germany, for the remainder of his time on active duty.

Upon returning to the United States in 1961 they settled in McMinnville, Oregon, where Dave taught science and mathematics at McMinnville High School. In addition, he was the Executive Officer and later the Battery Commander of the Oregon National Guard artillery battery in Newberg.

In 1964 Dave returned to Oregon State University to earn his master’s degree, and in 1965 moved to Milwaukie, where he taught science and mathematics at Rex Putnam High School. During his 20 years of teaching at Rex Putnam he also taught part time at Portland State University, served for five years as the Oregon Coordinator for the National Energy Foundation, and spent three years as the Sports Editor of the Milwaukie Review newspaper.

During a one-year leave of absence from Rex Putnam, he entered a graduate studies program at The Ohio State University in Columbus. David continued to pursue his studies part-time earning a Ph. D. in 1982. He became a full-time faculty member at Portland State University in 1984. Dave retired from his position there in 1995 and was awarded emeritus status. During the period 1995-98 he was a faculty member at Willamette University in Salem. David retired from his position at Willamette in 1998, but remained professionally active until 2002, which marked the end of his 41-year career in science education.

Memorial contributions to the "David and Wilma Cox Science Education Scholarship" at Portland State University or the 

"Wilma and David Cox Science Educator Scholarship" at Oregon State University may be sent in the care of Fisher Funeral Home located at 306 SW Washington St. Albany, Oregon 97321.