Louis Osborne Coxe ’40

A LONG ORDEAL with Alzheimer's disease ceased May 25, 1993, for our noted educator and poet, Louis Coxe. He is survived by his widow, Edith; three sons, Robert W. '69, Louis O.'72, and Charles S.; a daughter, Helen C. Cheney; and four grandchildren. To all we offer our heartfelt sympathies.

Son of Charles O. Coxe '09, Louis prepared at St. Paul's School, roomed with Brooke Lee all four years, and was a member of Ivy Club. His remarkable literary and educational career was diverse and highly respected. He was a prep school teacher, university lecturer, and professor of American literature at home and abroad, culminating as head of Bowdoin College's English dept. Louis also coauthored the widely acclaimed play BILLY BUDD with Robert Chapman '41 and wrote seven volumes of poetry, which largely reflected his New England background and upbringing. We should note that Louis accomplished all this with only a bachelor's degree from Princeton, and no graduate degrees.

Many of Louis's papers and correspondence now reside in Firestone Library, and it is gratifying that his grandson Olaf Coxe will enter the Princeton Class of 1997 to continue the family tradition. The Class of 1940 takes great pride in the life and accomplishments of Louis Coxe and fondly recalls his 40th yearbook statement that "Princeton meant a lot to me and sent me on my way with more blessings on my head than I knew."

The Class of 1940