He went on to serve as interim dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service, interim chancellor of The Texas A&M University System and special advisor to then-Texas A&M President Robert Gates. “When I came to Texas A&M, the university was reshaping its vision and recognizing that it had the potential to be a nationally eminent academic institution,” Cocanougher explained. “But you don’t stay great unless you stay hungry and maintain the drive to continue improving.”
He also personally witnessed the benefits from the university’s continual commitment to increasing its quality of education. While Cocanougher and his late wife, Dianne, didn’t graduate from Texas A&M, their two children earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the university—and their son married an Aggie.
Extending His Influence
Over the years, Cocanougher watched the university face challenges due to changing state and federal funding priorities. “Having been in the academic business for a long time, I really appreciated the essential role that philanthropic gifts provided,” he shared. “Certainly, the business school’s success wouldn’t have been possible without the instrumental help of Lowry and Peggy Mays and Jerry and Kay Cox, among others, at a critical time. I really had an appreciation for the role that charitable giving had to academic development.”
As Cocanougher neared retirement, he and his wife, Dianne, considered philanthropic options as part of their estate plan—and he encourages others to do so as well. “I’d advise everybody to give thought to estate planning,” he said. “A lot of us worked hard for the resources we have. Estate planning helps to lay out a roadmap so that those hard-earned resources will be used in ways that meet your desires.”
