Obit of Cosgrove, Augustin "Gus" - Cleveland County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 3 Dec 2004 Return to Cleveland County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/cleveland/cleveland.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== Cosgrove, Augustin "Gus" Longtime Norman resident and retired O.U. pro fessor Augustin 'Gus' Cosgrove is dead at the age of 94. Cosgrove died in Ardmore on September 16, 2002 after a lengthy illness at the home of his daughter, Dr. Ann Cosgrove and her husband, Dr. Loyd Thayer. Services will be at 1:00 p.m. on Friday September 20 at St. Thomas More University Chapel in Norman with Fr. Joseph R. Ross officiating. Burial will be at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Norman under the direction of Primrose Funeral Service. The family will receive friends from 5:30 to 7:30 Thursday at Primrose Funeral Service. He was born on October 14, 1907 at the family farm in Continentalville, New York to John and Mary Cosgrove. He lived in Ireland from age 3 to 5. After his family returned to the U.S., he attended school in Peekskill, New York. Cosgrove received his undergraduate degree from State University of New York at Plattsburgh and graduate degrees in business from New York University in New York City. He taught in public schools in Elizabeth, New Jersey and Freeport, Long Island before teaching business at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. Cosgrove joined the business faculty at OU in 1938 where he stayed for 40 years, teaching business communication. He retired as Professor Emeritus of Business in 1978. In addition to his lectures on the Norman campus, Cosgrove taught at extension branches in Midwest City, Fort Sill, Omaha, Nebraska and at the FAA Center in Oklahoma City as the university expanded its degree programs throughout the region. He also taught summer sessions at Hunter College in New York City and at Ohio University. Cosgrove served in the Army Medical Corps during World War II and was stationed in London. Because of his experience in business communication, he was one of a group chosen to record top secret dictation as Eisenhower's staff planned the invasion of Europe. He received a commendation for that service. After the war had ended, he taught business courses in London to the servicemen who were waiting to return to the States. A resident of Oklahoma for 64 years, Cosgrove was active in the Norman community, having served as secretary of the Norman Lions' Club for many years. He was the first president of the O.U. Credit Union and served on its Board of Directors for many years. His memberships included the Norman Iris Club, Retired Educators Association, OEA, NEA, St. Thomas More University Parish and the Knights of Columbus. An avid, self-trained botanist, he had a passion for the outdoors and gardening. He hybridized and planted thousands of irises. He reforested acres of Carter County with redbud, pine and oak seedlings. Through the years, he adopted and cared for dozens of stray dogs. He was an avid reader. And of course, he remained a faithful supporter to the very end of his beloved Oklahoma Sooners, having had season football tickets since 1938. Cosgrove married Helen Moriarty on June 27, 1942 in Zaleski, Ohio. They were married for more than 53 years before she preceded him in death on February 5, 1996. He was also preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Frank and James, and his sister Mary, and by his half-brothers John, Ambrose, William, and James, and by his half-sisters Rose and Gertrude. Cosgrove is survived by his daughter, Ann and her husband, Loyd Thayer of Ardmore, and by his 'son', Allan Keown of Sacramento, California. Memorials may be made to the Cosgrove Service Award Fund at St. Thomas More University Parish, Norman, Oklahoma, or to the O.U. Foundation, 100 Timberdell Road, Norman, OK 73072. Primrose Funeral Service Norman 321-6000 Published in the Oklahoman from 9/18/2002 - 9/20/2002. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Cleveland County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/cleveland/cleveland.html