On Thursday, October 16, 2008, Cogswell alumnus, Zachary Todd Cox, passed away suddenly in Santa Cruz, California at the age of 32. Zach’s ready smile and enthusiasm for life will be missed by all who knew him.
He graduated from Homestead High School in Sunnyvale, CA in 1996. After graduation, he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Nagoya, Japan. Upon returning to the Bay Area in 1998 he enrolled in Cogswell Polytechnical College where he pursued his love of art until 2001. In his application essay he wrote, “I want to make a living doing what I love, putting animations and images on the screen that will inspire and amaze!”
Zach met his wife, Asia Bird Cox, while snowboarding in Utah in 2001. They married on March 17, 2004 in Bountiful, Utah. Zach's motto was, "Live life to the fullest, it's all about the ride. If not now, when?" and he lived his life in just this way. Zach loved to surf, skateboard, wakeboard, rock climb, play hockey and rock out on guitar hero. He was an amazing and talented artist, previously employed at Santa Cruz Games as the Art Director and most recently as a Senior Concept Artist at Activision/Underground Development, Foster City, CA.
Zach leaves behind his loving wife, parents Gary and Sheila Cox, sisters Tiffany Castillo Rick, Haley Earnshaw Jack and many other family and friends whom he loved more than anything.
Services will be held at 11:30am with a viewing at 10am on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at the Latter-day Saint Church located at 220 Elk Street, Santa Cruz, CA. Following the services there will be an open house at the Cox residence from 1pm to 3pm at 41 Grandview Street #101, Santa Cruz, CA. Anyone wanting to contribute to Zach's wife at this time please visit www.paypal.com and send contributions to asiabird01@yahoo.com.
TRIBUTES
Zach obviously loved what he did. In 2005, as a newly-hired Alumni Relations staff at Cogswell, I had the chance to visit with Zach and tour Santa Cruz Games. He patiently walked this novice through the basics of creating video games. Zach was a regular volunteer at Cogswell – providing helpful insights about the industry to students, reviewing portfolios and offering suggestions and participating in alumni art exhibits. His humor and exuberance brightened many of Cogswell’s events over the years. (Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement, Cogswell College)
I knew Zack and actually met him in one of the photoshop labs...he showed me how to implement the chrome effect in Photoshop....he was soooo talented...his work blessed the walls of Cogswell for the many months I was there and I wished I could draw like that!!! I’m soo sorry that I cannot attend his funeral...he had such a promising future in illustration! I knew he would be successful. May God bless his family and friends. He will be missed!!! (Elliott Gibson attended Cogswell between 1999-2003)
I’m so sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to his wife and family. I took classes with him and he was the life of the party. He never showed any type of worry. I know he will be in God’s hands. (Jorge Padmore, Electrical Engineer, Cogswell Class of 2001)
This is a day of great sadness as I remember the exceptional presence of a young man who had given much and had much left to do in this world. I met Zach Cox when he took his first college art class, Sketching, with me in 1998. He was a marvelous student, full of good humor and hard work. The next year, I watched Zach develop his drawing skills to tell stories in Tony Clair’s “Drawing for Animation” course. He always worked to get something more creative than the assignment suggested and received top marks for his efforts. In the early 2000’s, I would run into him at the Cubberley Center in Palo Alto where I had a studio and he worked as a stage manager at the community theater. Within a year, he landed his first job in the animation industry at Santa Cruz Games where he used his talents fully. A few years ago, when I curated the Cogswell Alumni Exhibit, he was the first one to bring work and we exhibited several of his fun digital character designs made for Santa Cruz Games. I will always remember his shinning countenance and loving nature. (Susan Harby, Associate Professor Cogswell College DAA Program)
I didn't go to Cogswell at the same time as Zach but we grew up in the same church and we jammed on guitar a couple of times at each other’s house. He was a very nice and fun person to be around. (Jeff Hovik, Cogswell Class of 2007)
October 20, 2008
