Robert "Bob" Cozens
Left Formation April 2, 2012
Robert "Bob" Cozens embodied the spirit of the greatest generation: loyalty, honesty, humility and service to country.
During his life, Mr. Cozens was a college football star, a decorated World War II pilot, a San Diego County supervisor, director of the California Department of Motor Vehicles and a successful businessman.
"That generation, they saw their duty and did it, and that's how they approached life in general, not looking for accolades," said his son Tom Cozens.
Mr. Cozens died April 2 from congestive heart failure. He was 93.
He descended from the 11-member Hammond family that doubled the population of what is now the city of Encinitas with their arrival in 1882. Robert Charles Cozens was born in San Diego in 1919, the second of five children, to Bert and Grace Cozens. His grandfather built the one-room schoolhouse Mr. Cozens attended. His grandmother awarded him both his Encinitas elementary and Oceanside High School diplomas, as she was a member of both school boards.
Mr. Cozens attended what was then San Diego State College, where he was a star halfback and nicknamed the "Encinitas Express." He met his future wife, song leader Patricia Hamrick, at a dance after the game against Fresno State.
"He learned a lot from football," said his longtime friend, Hugh A. Hall. "He told me, 'It's really better to always go forward,' and he went forward the rest of his life."
Mr. Cozens enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces (now the Air Force) as an aviation cadet, less than a month after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He earned his wings on the morning of July 26, 1942, and got married that afternoon.
He flew B-17s on 25 successful missions, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross and several other awards. By the time he was selected to work in the air corps bombardment section at the Pentagon, he had attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. Mr. Cozens, who lost two brothers in World War II, led the effort to create the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation, with the mission of educating the public about the air campaign in Central Europe. He also was a member of the Founders Committee that brought the War Memorial, dedicated in 1996 to commemorate SDSU Aztecs who died in various conflicts, to the college campus.
After leaving the military in 1946, he joined his father's excavating and grading business, BG Cozens & Sons. In 1960, he was elected county supervisor for District 5, which at that time included all of North County, Julian and Borrego Springs. Mr. Cozens delivered on his campaign promise "to bring government closer to the people" and lobbied to build a branch office in Vista, then the geographic center of his district.
Bill Dominguez, Mr. Cozens' executive assistant in 1969, remembered his sense of humor. "During that time, SDSU was vying for the (football) championship against the Air Force Academy, and I asked him who he was going to root for," Dominguez said. "He told me, 'I'm sure I'll be on the side of the best team.' He was very diplomatic and humorous, with that sly grin of his that was unmistakable."
Then-Gov. Ronald Reagan appointed Mr. Cozens director of the state DMV. When the Cozens returned from Sacramento, they moved to Whispering Palms in Rancho Santa Fe, where they lived for 37 years. Mr. Cozens worked in county administration and for the Otay Water District before helping found and serving for 14 years as executive director of the Construction Industry Federation in San Diego, a liaison group to local government.
He was active in many organizations and served as president of the Encinitas Lions Club, board chairman of the Encinitas Sanitary District and chairman of the San Dieguito Sewage Study Group that created a coalition of local communities to become the Encina Wastewater Authority.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Cozens is survived by three children, Rob of Manchester, Lee Mote and Tom Cozens, both of Carlsbad; a sister, Ann Largent; six grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. June 4 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. In lieu of flowers, his family suggests donations in Mr. Cozens' name to the San Dieguito Heritage Museum or the Encinitas Historical Society.
Copyright 2012, U-T San Diego