William Edward Cox, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, died at home with his wife by his side on Thursday, Oct. 2, after valiantly battling pancreatic cancer for more than six years. An avid fisherman, award-winning photographer, and internationally recognized water management specialist, he was a native of Pulaski and long-time resident of Blacksburg. He was 81.
Cox was preceded in death by his parents, William Walker and Cora Davis Cox of Pulaski; and sister and brother-in-law, Wilma Cox Wright (Ned) of Dublin, Va.
He will be deeply missed by his beloved family, including his wife of nearly 60 years, Clara Brown Cox of Blacksburg; their daughter and son-in-law, Wendy Cox Royston and Keith A. Royston of Smithfield, Va.; and granddaughters Reagan Amberley Royston and Bryce Acadia Royston of Smithfield.
Also surviving him are three brothers-in-law he loved like brothers and their wives/fiancé, who were like sisters to him: J. Morris Brown (Phyllis) of Chapel Hill, N.C., Dennis E. Brown (Kay) of Carrollton, Va., and Joseph H. Brown (Renée Blevins) of Christiansburg, Va.; a sister, Juanita Bentley (Duane) of Pulaski; nephews Paul Ayers of Pulaski and Jeff Ayers of Apex, N.C.; and nieces Lisa Faddis (R.J.) of Pulaski and Lori Umberger (Doug Jr.) of Dublin. Additionally, special friends Dan and Angela Mathias of Craig County, Va., and fishing buddies Lanseford Dawson of Draper, Va., and Bill Copenhaver of Salem.
After graduating from high school as co-salutatorian, Cox earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. He taught at Virginia Commonwealth University before returning to Tech in1972 for a Ph.D. in civil engineering.
After working for the Virginia Water Resources Research Center at the university, he began teaching in the Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where he also served as assistant department head and played a major role in the development of the department’s curriculum assessment procedures. The department recognized him for “outstanding leadership” in its Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology efforts. He was inducted into its Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2010. Additionally, the Virginia Tech chapter of Chi Epsilon named him a chapter honor member “in recognition of superior scholarship, character, practicality, and sociability,” and the College of Engineering presented him with the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service for “extraordinary performance in public service.” During four decades at Tech, he wrote numerous articles, which appeared in professional journals and other publications, and made many presentations at professional conferences.
Nationally, Cox helped develop a model state water code with colleagues in the American Society of Civil Engineers and helped found the Environmental and Water Resources Institute within ASCE. Both ASCE and EWRI selected him to receive their Service to the Profession and Lifetime Achievement awards.
Additionally, Cox worked on international water issues as a member of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme and wrote IHP’s report on managing the relationship between water and development, which UNESCO translated into several languages, published, and distributed to numerous countries.
Water also played a role in his non-working life. He went fishing whenever and wherever he could, but his favorite places to dip his line were the Fryingpan and Taylor rivers in Colorado, tributaries of Lake Erie near Erie, Penn., and the New River in Pulaski, Montgomery, and Giles counties, Va. He often tied his own flies and invented a spinning lure that would not twist his fishing line.
Additionally, Cox loved photography and had a special knack for framing his shots, which reflected the beauty of landscapes and wildlife, although he especially enjoyed recording the lives of his daughter and granddaughters. The family traveled extensively, and he viewed many sections of the world from behind his camera lens. His photographs appeared in magazines and newspapers, and he received several awards, including two from Kodak in an international competition.
His knowledge was so broad that his wife called him her “walking encyclopedia,” and their daughter said there was “nothing my daddy doesn’t know.”
The family thanks ACG Hospice for its care of William during the final months of his life and neighbors Tanja Doyle and her son, Alex, and friends Dave and Betsy Kibler of Salem for their many visits and loving help.
A celebration of Cox’s full and rewarding life will be held on Sunday, October 12, at 2 p.m. in the McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive SW, Blacksburg. Arrangements are being handled by McCoy.
