Stephen Cox

It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Stephen Cox (Class of ‘65) and former Chair of the UWC Atlantic Board at the age of 77 after a long illness.

He was an early adopter to the UWC movement and in the second year of students to graduate from the College. He dedicated his life to service and did this at all levels - internationally, nationally and at a community level, whilst always reflecting UWC values.

On leaving what was then Atlantic College and just aged 18, Stephen went to Oruro, a small mining town in the high Andes on Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). Here he taught English to secondary school students for one  year before returning home in 1966 to Birmingham University to study geography. He then went on to complete a postgraduate diploma in teaching English as a second language at Leeds University and, some time later, an MA in Education from the University of Sussex.

In 1970 Stephen joined the British Council and was immediately posted to Warsaw at the height of the Cold War. Postings to Ghana and Washington DC followed, interspersed with several London postings. From 1981 to 1984 he was chair of the trade union side of the British Council’s Whitley Council.

In 1984 he joined the Royal Society as an assistant secretary to head their international programmes, liaising with scientists around the world, especially in the USA, Europe, and the Commonwealth. Stephen became director-general of the Commonwealth Institute in London in 1991.

In 1997 he was made Commander of the Victorian Order CVO by Queen Elizabeth II. This is a personal gift by the monarch for services to the Crown and was given to Stephen for his work for the Commonwealth. In 1997 he became Executive Director of the Royal Society following in the footsteps of Samuel Pepys and Edmund Halley. Founded 1660, the Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK dedicated to promoting excellence in science. Here he was responsible for the 350th anniversary celebrations with the Queen as Royal Patron.

Here at UWC Atlantic we were lucky to benefit from his skills and kindness during his tenure as Chair of the Board between 2010 - 2015. Stephen was highly regarded by all those who worked with him. He often led and coordinated major initiatives but did so with humility, taking every opportunity to highlight others’ contributions. 

We are reminded of this in the way he hosted the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to UWC Atlantic in 2014, guiding them through their visit while ensuring they met as many students and staff as possible.  

"Stephen was a highly intelligent, thoughtful person with a dry sense of humour and a wry smile. He exemplified the UWC spirit through his work with the Britsh Council, The Royal Society and at UWC Atlantic. Our thoughts are with his wife Pauline and his children Rachel and David." Jill Longson, Chair of the UWC Atlantic Board. .

"Stephen was an exceptional character at AC, and evidently throuh his adult life, who gave generously of himself, without pretensions or harsh judgements of others. He has a sharp mind, was very articulat and often combative, but always with a vital sense of humour. His career recird, built on these qualities speaks for itself." Jon Plummer, Co-Year at UWC Atlantic.