Cox, James Melville

James Melville Cox, 86, of Independence, died Thursday, January 26, 2012. He was born August 4, 1925, at Brookside Farm, Independence, the son of Kyle Thomas Cox and Elizabeth Jordan Cox. Mr. Cox was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, David Jordan Cox, and his granddaughter, Lucy Brooke Jennings.

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Mr. Cox served in the United States Navy during World War II, and was a yeoman 1st class on the submarine Dragonet. After the war, he received his B.A and M.A. in English from the University of Michigan. In a library at the university, he met and fell in love with Marguerite Hutchison, and soon afterward they married and moved to Abingdon, where he began his teaching career at Emory and Henry College. Although he stayed there for only two years, he always felt a deep sentiment for that small, rural college. In 1955, Jim earned his doctorate in English at Indiana University, where he was offered a teaching position. Several years later, he made his great move, with family in tow, to teach at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he spent 27 years as an English professor. He was also a visiting professor at Kenyon College, Texas A&M, Princeton University, Emory University and the University of Virginia. He received multiple awards: among them a Guggenheim, the Avalon Professorship of Humanities at Dartmouth, the Danforth award for teaching, and the Jay B. Hubbell medal for his accomplishments in American literature. Jim Cox befriended many people both within and outside his profession. He had a profound influence on students and fellow teachers but was also drawn to the ideas and insights of many outside the world of academia. As a former student once said, \"...he was so unusual in the breadth of his subject matter...,\" and one of his former colleagues described him as unconventional, unpredictable, with irony and wit as two of his distinguishing gifts. He was a die-hard democrat and a champion of liberal institutions-civil rights, public education, social welfare. He was an avid Detroit Tigers fan, and was even given a seat from the old Tigers stadium. He was deeply connected to his farm in Independence, Virginia, and was never happier than when he was working alongside Marguerite on their land. He had a childlike and generous spirit. He deeply loved his children, grandchildren, and most of all, his wife, who stood behind for him for over 63 years of marriage and loved him with all her heart. He leaves behind his wife, Marguerite; six children and their spouses, Karen and Mark Sheets, of Thompson Falls, Mont.; Marian and Rick Cawley, of Corinth, Vt.; Julia Cox, of Roanoke, ; Ellen Cox and Tom Valtin, of San Francisco, Calif.; David and Sylvie Cox, of Dallas, Texas; and Virginia Cox and Bill Filler, of Belmont, Mass. He also leaves behind his fourteen surviving grandchildren, Sara, Harry, Sam, Maggie, Katie, Andrew, James, David, Jamie, Jordan, Joshua, Eliza, Mia and Owen. There will be a 2 p.m. graveside service on Monday, January 30, 2012 at Saddle Creek Cemetery in Independence. The Rev. John Duvall officiating. Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home, Independence, is in charge of arrangements.