Slippery Rock University and its Athletics Department mourn the passing of Dr. Edwin Cottrell, a 1943 SRU alumnus and member of the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame, who passed away March 28 at the age of 103.
 
A legendary World War II fighter pilot and retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force Reserves, Cottrell set out on his impactful life after getting his start at Slippery Rock State Teachers College.
 
His family moved to Slippery Rock from Oklahoma shortly after he was born in 1922 as his father, Elmer Cottrell, accepted a teaching position in the Slippery Rock Health and Physical Education Department. Cottrell decided to stay close to home and attend Slippery Rock. During his sophomore year in 1941, he enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program that was created by President Franklin Roosevelt to boost the number of young people that could fly aircraft in the event of a military emergency. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Cottrell received his draft notice and joined the Army Air Corps.
 
In between training to become a fighter pilot, Cottrell played basketball, football and tennis at Slippery Rock and finished his studies in 1943 before heading to Europe to join the war in 1944.
 
Throughout the rest of the war, Cottrell would fly 65 missions in his P-47 Thunderbolt, including multiple missions in support of troops on the ground in Germany. His efforts earned him the air medal with eight clusters in addition to multiple unit and battle citations. In 2024, the French government bestowed the highest national honor on Cottrell when he was presented with the French Legion of Honor medal.
 
After flying his 65th mission, Cottrell stepped away from the Army and returned home, where he would serve 28 years in the Air Force Reserves and retire as a Lt. Colonel. Back on American soil, he set out to make an impact as an educator.
 
Cottrell earned a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate in health and physical education from Penn State University. He joined the West Chester University faculty in 1955 and went on to serve as associate dean of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and as professor in the undergraduate and graduate programs. He also served as the head golf coach at West Chester for 20 years and worked at the university from 1955-80. The Entrepreneurial Leadership Center at West Chester is named in his honor.
 
Cottrell was active in many professional and academic organizations. He was named 'Outstanding Physical Educator' in Pennsylvania by PSAHPER, was a member of the National Golf Coaches' Association and an educational consultant for the National Golf Foundation. He was also on the staff of the Duke University Junior Golf Camp and served as chair of the Concord Country Club golf committee, where he was the club champion.
 
He retired to North Carolina with his wife, Millie Weed, who also graduated from Slippery Rock in 1943. Cottrell married his "sweetheart" as he called her in 1943 and the couple were together until her passing in 2020.
 
Cottrell spent many of his "retired" years working for the National Golf Foundation promoting golf in schools around the United States and around the world. He traveled to Japan 15 times and spent a total of 45 weeks teaching golf at driving ranges throughout the country. He also remained active as a donor and supporter of both Slippery Rock and West Chester throughout the rest of his life, routinely visiting the campuses and making contributions that impacted scholarships for students and student-athletes.
 
A celebration of life will take place May 25 in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
 
 
 

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