Edward Cox (1943-2024)

All of us who knew him are mourning the loss of Edward Cox, a pioneering professor in history at (and in the history of) Rice University. For more than a decade after my arrival here, I had the pleasure of having Ed as an office neighbor and enjoyed swapping stories about our shared graduate school alma mater, Johns Hopkins. His wisdom and deep experience at Rice made him an invaluable member of the Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice. And I was especially glad to share a table with him at a faculty dinner for the formal inauguration of President Reggie DesRoches, a very happy evening. Over the years, I learned so much from Ed’s scholarship, his collegiality, his deft handling of difficult problems, his example of mentorship to students, and (perhaps most of all) his laughter. Rest in peace, Professor.