Ouachita Parish Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....Cotton, William Frederick, Sr  October 23, 1897
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WILLIAM FREDERICK "BILL" COTTON, SR.

In Longtime Alexandria businessman Bill Cotton, who was the nation's oldest living Shriner and one of the few remaining World War I veterans in the United States, died Sunday at age 108. 
Funeral services for Cotton have been scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria, with Dr. Larry M. Taylor officiating. Burial will be held in Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville under the direction of Hixson Brothers, Alexandria. 
Cotton was born on Oct. 23, 1897, in Paris, Ark., and was one of eight children. In 1923, he moved to Alexandria and along with his brother, Herbert M. "Hub" Cotton, founded The Cotton Organization. 
They bought the existing Louisiana Baking Co. and changed the name to Cotton Brothers. They enlarged the plant five times before building the present company plant on MacArthur Drive in 1951.   The brothers acquired or built four other bakeries in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Natchez, Miss., and Monroe. 

After graduating from high school in Fort Smith, Ark., in 1917, Bill Cotton joined the Navy and served as the chief commissary steward on the USS Oklahoma off the coast of France. 
November 1999, he was awarded The National Order of the Legion of Honor by France. It is the highest honor bestowed on foreign nationals and recognized American valor during World War I. 
After his discharge from the Navy on Oct. 6, 1919, Bill Cotton enrolled at the University of Arkansas, where he studied accounting for two years.   He then went to work for Shipley Bakery in Fort Smith, Ark. In 1923, he and his brother bought what is now Cotton Brothers Baking Co. 
On Sept. 27, 1929, he married Genevieve Hathorn. She died on Dec. 11, 1963. He was married to Mae C. Compton Cotton when he died.  He and his wife were known to enjoy ballroom dancing. 
A Shriner since 1927, Bill Cotton was a member of the El Karubah Temple.   Bill Cotton "was a fine man. I respected him dearly," said Ray McLaurin of Alexandria, also a Shriner. "I knew (him) mostly just socially. He was always the gentleman you'd ever want to talk to."   Bobby Breedlove, who keeps records at El Karubah Temple in Shreveport, said, "I am very, very much saddened. He was very active until just recently." 
Besides being a Shriner, Bill Cotton also served as president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1942 and as president of the Lions Club in 1943. He also served on the Rapides Parish School Board and was a member of Gov. Sam Jones' War Council, the Industry and Commerce Board and the National Association of Manufacturers. 
He was a founding member of W.E. Long Baker's Co-op in Chicago, was director of Guaranty Bank and Trust Company and a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church,  He founded the Better Sire Club in Alexandria on Jan. 29, 1943. The club's goal was to improve the bloodline of cattle in this area. 
Bill Cotton and Rife Saunders also helped persuade Gov. Jones to establish Louisiana State University at Alexandria. To this day, the Bill Cotton scholarship goes to a qualified freshman at the university.   Bill Cotton and others persuaded U.S. Sen. Russell Long, D-La., to promote what is now Interstate 49. In 1997, Bill Cotton urged that the roadway be named the Russell Long Interstate. 
At age 100, Bill Cotton still mowed his own yard, drove 100 miles each week to go fishing, planted pecan trees and walked regularly. He also held a driver's license until he was 103 and liked a drink or two before supper. 
He was grand marshal of the Alexandria Veterans Day parade for several years.  Bud Teal, with the American Legion, said Bill Cotton was a member for 85 years.  "When he was able to get around, we'd make him the grand marshal. He was very spry. Our commander was going to give him a gift at our convention in June." 
Originally published April 25, 2006
Born Oct 23, 1897 in Corley, AR Died Apr 23, 2006 (108) Alexandria, Rapides, LA
 
bill cotton dies      
By Jim Leggett 
jleggett@thetowntalk.com 
Longtime Alexandria businessman Bill Cotton, who was the nation's oldest living Shriner and one of the few remaining World War I veterans in the United States, died Sunday at age 108. 
Funeral services for Cotton have been scheduled for 11 a..m. Wednesday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria, with Dr. Larry M. Taylor officiating. Burial will be held in Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville under the direction of Hixson Brothers, Alexandria. 
Cotton was born on Oct. 23, 1897, in Paris, Ark., and was one of eight children. In 1923, he moved to Alexandria and along with his brother, Herbert M. "Hub" Cotton, founded The Cotton Organization. 
They bought the existing Louisiana Baking Co. and changed the name to Cotton Brothers. They enlarged the plant five times before building the present company plant on MacArthur Drive in 1951. 
The brothers acquired or built four other bakeries in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Natchez, Miss., and Monroe. 
After graduating from high school in Fort Smith, Ark., in 1917, Bill Cotton joined the Navy and served as the chief commissary steward on the USS Oklahoma off the coast of France. 
In November 1999, he was awarded The National Order of the Legion of Honor by France. It is the highest honor bestowed on foreign nationals and recognized American valor during World War I. 
After his discharge from the Navy on Oct. 6, 1919, Bill Cotton enrolled at the University of Arkansas, where he studied accounting for two years. 
He then went to work for Shipley Bakery in Fort Smith, Ark. In 1923, he and his brother bought what is now Cotton Brothers Baking Co. 
On Sept. 27, 1929, he married Genevieve Hathorn. She died on Dec. 11, 1963. He was married to Mae C. Compton Cotton when he died. 
He and his wife were known to enjoy ballroom dancing. 
A Shriner since 1927, Bill Cotton was a member of the El Karubah Temple. 
Bill Cotton "was a fine man. I respected him dearly," said Ray McLaurin of Alexandria, also a Shriner. "I knew (him) mostly just socially. He was always the gentleman you'd ever want to talk to." 
Bobby Breedlove, who keeps records at El Karubah Temple in Shreveport, said, "I am very, very much saddened. He was very active until just recently." 
Besides being a Shriner, Bill Cotton also served as president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1942 and as president of the Lions Club in 1943. He also served on the Rapides Parish School Board and was a member of Gov. Sam Jones' War Council, the Industry and Commerce Board and the National Association of Manufacturers. 
He was a founding member of W.E. Long Baker's Co-op in Chicago, was director of Guaranty Bank and Trust Company and a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church, 
He founded the Better Sire Club in Alexandria on Jan. 29, 1943. The club's goal was to improve the bloodline of cattle in this area. 
Bill Cotton and Rife Saunders also helped persuade Gov. Jones to establish Louisiana State University at Alexandria. To this day, the Bill Cotton scholarship goes to a qualified freshman at the university. 
Bill Cotton and others persuaded U.S. Sen. Russell Long, D-La., to promote what is now Interstate 49. In 1997, Bill Cotton urged that the roadway be named the Russell Long Interstate. 
At age 100, Bill Cotton still mowed his own yard, drove 100 miles each week to go fishing, planted pecan trees and walked regularly. He also held a driver's license until he was 103 and liked a drink or two before supper. 
He was grand marshal of the Alexandria Veterans Day parade for several years. 
Bud Teal, with the American Legion, said Bill Cotton was a member for 85 years. 
"When he was able to get around, we'd make him the grand marshal. He was very spry. Our commander was going to give him a gift at our convention in June." 
Originally published April 25, 2006
Born Oct 23, 1897 in Corley, AR Died Apr 23,2006 (108) Alexandria, Rapides, LA

 
Baking Co.’s Cotton, 108, dies at home in Alexandria
By ADVOCATE STAFF REPORT

Published: Apr 25, 2006 
William F. Cotton Sr., co-founder of Cotton Brothers Baking Co., died Sunday at his home in Alexandria.  He was 108.
Years after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War I, Cotton and his brother Herbert Cotton moved to Alexandria and bought an existing baking company, renaming it Cotton Brothers Baking Co.
The Cotton brothers’ success spread to other cities, including Shreveport, Monroe and Natchez, Miss. Cotton’s Baton Rouge plant on then Dufrocq Street, now North 19th Street, home of Holsum bread, was opened in 1934.
The North Street plant was replaced in the early 1960s with a $3 million, 10-acre plant on the corner of Choctaw and East Brookstown drives. The company operated in Baton Rouge until 1989, when the plant closed to consolidate the company’s operations with plants in other cities.
William Cotton served as president of the company until he was elected chairman of the board in 1977.A longtime member of the Cenla Shriner Club, Cotton was touted as the oldest Shriner in North America by the Alexandria Daily Town Talk in 2002.
The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria.
Cotton’s survivors include his wife of 37 years, Mae Compton Cotton, son, Richard Gene Cotton, and two stepsons, John Golding Thompson and Taylor Compton Thompson, all of Alexandria.
 
Apr 25, 8:14 AM EDT
Co-founder of Cotton Bros. bakeries dead at 108 
ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) -- William F. Cotton Sr., co-founder of a bakery business that spread to other cities around Louisiana, died at his home in Alexandria on Sunday. He was 108.
Years after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War I, Cotton and his brother Herbert Cotton moved to Alexandria and bought an existing baking company, renaming it Cotton Brothers Baking Co.
Other Cotton bakeries were later established in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Monroe and Natchez, Miss.
The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria. Survivors include his wife of 37 years, Mae Compton Cotton, son, Richard Gene Cotton, and two stepsons, John Golding Thompson and Taylor Compton Thompson, all of Alexandria.
 
William F. "Bill" Cotton Sr.
COTTON SR., WILLIAM F. "BILL" Funeral service for Mr. William F. "Bill" Cotton Sr. will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 26, 2006, at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria under the direction of Dr. Larry M. Taylor and Dr. Lee Weems. Visitation at the church from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday. Burial in Greenwood Memorial Park under the direction of Hixson Brothers, Alexandria. Mr. Cotton, 108, died Sunday, April 23, at his home in Alexandria. William F. "Bill" Cotton was born in Corley, Logan County, Ark., on Oct. 23, 1897. He was the fourth of eight children born to John Thomas and Emily Helen Peters Cotton. While attending high school in Fort Smith, Ark., he worked various jobs at a local bakery. Two days after graduating in 1917, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy on April 22, serving aboard the USS Oklahoma as chief commissary steward during World War I. After receiving an honorable discharge on Oct. 6, 1919, he enrolled at the University of Arkansas and studied accounting for two years. After attending the university, Mr. Cotton went to work for the Shipley Baking Co. in Fort Smith, working first as a clerk and later as office manager. In 1923, he and his brother, Herbert M. "Hub" Cotton, moved to Alexandria, purchased the existing Louisiana Baking Co. and changed the name to Cotton Brothers Baking Co. The Alexandria bakery was enlarged five times between 1923 and 1951, when the existing facility was completed. Other Cotton's Bakeries were built in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Monroe and Natchez, Miss. Mr. Cotton served as president of the corporation until his election as chairman of the board in 1977. He served as president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1942, president of the Lion's Club in 1943, member of the Rapides Parish School Board, Governor Sam's War Council of Industry and Commerce Board and the National Association of Manufacturers. Mr. Cotton started the Better Sire Club in Alexandria in 1943 to improve the state's cattle industry. He was also instrumental in founding LSU at Alexandria. He was a founding member of W.E. Long Baker's Co-op in Chicago, director of Guaranty Bank & Trust Co., member of Emmanuel Baptist Church, El Karubah Temple and was the oldest Shriner in North America. He was awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honor Award, France's highest honor of World War I veterans who served in France. Mr. Cotton served as grand marshal in the Veteran's Day Parade. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Genevieve Hathorn; and son, William F. "Fred" Cotton Jr. He is survived by his wife, Mae Compton Cotton of Alexandria; son, Richard Gene Cotton and wife, Nancy, of Alexandria; two stepsons, John Golding Thompson and wife, Vickie, and Taylor Compton Thompson and wife, Mandi, all of Alexandria; granddaughters, Catherine "Cathy" Nolan and husband, Donald, of West Monroe, Genevieve Tracy Cotton of New York City; grandsons, Richard Gene Cotton Jr. of Alexandria, William Howard Cotton and wife, Karen, of Marblehead, Mass., and William F. Cotton III and wife, Sara, of Allen, Texas; six stepgrandchildren, John G. Thompson IV and wife, Lisa, of Alexandria, Lisa Morgan of Baton Rouge, Allison Covington and husband, Jeff, of Pineville, and Nickolas A. Thompson, Melani Thompson and Blaise T. Thompson, all of Alexandria; four great-grandchildren, four stepgreat-grandchildren; nieces, Catherine Rogers of Paris, Ark., Barbara Stephens of Rogers, Ark., Mary Chesterfield of St. Louis, Margaret Fox of Gentry, Ark., Emily Dane of Madera, Calif., Judy Culver of Ratcliff, Ark., Leona Atwood of Humansville, Mo., Nancy Dawson of Baton Rouge, and Jennifer Kappel of New Iberia; and a nephew, Garland Cotton of Paris, Ark. Pallbearers will be Richard G. Cotton Jr., William H. Cotton, W.F. Cotton III, John Thompson IV, Donald Nolan, Q. Joseph Dawson, Robert W. Kappel Jr., Blaise T. Thompson and Nickolas A. Thompson. The family has requested that memorial donations be made to the Bill Cotton Scholarship at LSU-Alexandria. Please mail donations to LSU-A Foundation, P.O. Box 100, Lecompte, LA 71346. 
Published in The Advocate on 4/25/2006.
 

William Cotton, Sr.
 
Born: October 23, 1897
Died: April 23, 2006
Services:Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Visitation:Will be Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:00 at Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Funeral services for Mr. William F. “Bill” Cotton, Sr. will be at 11:00 o’clock Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria under the direction of Dr. Larry M. Taylor and Dr. Lee Weems. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Park under the direction of Hixson Brothers, Alexandria.

Mr. Cotton, 108, of Alexandria, died Sunday, April 23, 2006 at his residence.

William F. “Bill” Cotton was born in Corley, Logan County, Arkansas on October 23, 1897. He was the fourth of eight children born to John Thomas and Emily Helen Peters Cotton. While attending high school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, he worked various jobs at a local bakery there. Two days after graduating in 1917, he enlisted in the United States Navy on April 22, serving aboard the USS Oklahoma as Chief Commissary Steward during WWI. After receiving an honorable discharge on October 6, 1919, he enrolled at the University of Arkansas and studied accounting for two years.

After attending the university, Mr. Cotton went to work for the Shipley Baking Company in Fort Smith, Arkansas, working first as a clerk and later as office manager. In 1923, he and his brother, Herbert M. “Hub” Cotton, moved to Alexandria, Louisiana, purchased the existing Louisiana Baking Company and changed the name to Cotton Brothers Baking Company. The Alexandria bakery was enlarged five times between 1923 and 1951 when the existing facility was completed. Other Cotton’s Bakeries were also built in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana, Monroe, Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi. Mr. Cotton served as President of the Corporation until his election as Chairman of the Board in 1977. 

He served as President of the Chamber of Commerce in 1942, President of the Lion’s Club in 1943, member of the Rapides Parish School Board, Governor Sam’s War Council of Industry and Commerce Board and the National Association of Manufacturer’s. Mr. Cotton started the Better Sire Club in Alexandria in 1943 to improve the state’s cattle industry. He was also instrumental in founding LSU at Alexandria. He was a founding member of W.E. Long Baker’s Co-op in Chicago, Illinois, Director of Guaranty Bank and Trust Company, member of Emmanuel Baptist Church, El Karubah Temple, and was the oldest Shriner in North America. He was awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honor Award, France’s highest honor of WWI veterans who served in France. Mr. Cotton served as Grand Marshall in the Veteran’s Day Parade.

He is preceded in death by his first wife, Genevieve Hathorn and son, William F. “Fred” Cotton, Jr.
He is survived by his wife, Mae Compton Cotton of Alexandria, Louisiana; son, Richard Gene Cotton and wife, Nancy, of Alexandria, Louisiana; two stepsons, John Golding Thompson and wife, Vickie, of Alexandria, Louisiana, Taylor Compton Thompson and wife, Mandi, of Alexandria, Louisiana; granddaughters, Catherine “Cathy” Nolan and husband, Donald, of West Monroe, Louisiana, Genevieve Tracy Cotton of New York City, New York; grandsons, Richard Gene Cotton, Jr. of Alexandria, Louisiana, William Howard Cotton and wife, Karen of Marblehead, Massachusetts, William F. Cotton III and wife, Sara, of Allen, Texas; six step-grand children, John G. Thompson IV and wife, Lisa of Alexandria, Louisiana, Lisa Morgan of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Allison Covington and husband, Jeff, of Pineville, Louisiana, Nickolas A. Thompson, Melani Thompson and Blaise T. Thompson all of Alexandria, Louisiana; four great grandchildren, and four step great grandchildren; nieces, Catherine Rogers of Paris, Arkansas, Barbara Stephens of Rogers, Arkansas, Mary Chesterfield of St. Louis, Missouri, Margaret Fox of Gentry, Arkansas, Emily Dane of Madera, California, Judy Culver of Ratcliff, Arkansas, Leona Atwood of Humansville, Missouri, Nancy Dawson of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Jennifer Kappel of New Iberia, Louisiana and a nephew, Garland Cotton of Paris, Arkansas.

Pallbearers will be Richard G. Cotton, Jr., William H. Cotton, W.F. Cotton, III, John Thompson IV, Donald Nolan, Q. Joseph Dawson, Robert W. Kappel, Jr., Blaise T. Thompson, and Nickolas A. Thompson.

Visitation will be 9:30 to 11:00 at the Emmanuel Baptist Church. 

The family has requested that memorial donations be made to the Bill Cotton Scholarship at LSUA. Please mail donation to LSUA Foundation, P.O. Box 100, Lecompte, LA 71346.	

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