Larry Cox Receives Order of the Golden Arrow Award

Larry Cox, MC Class of 1970

Larry Cox is grateful to Mississippi College for preparing him to become a Christ-focused servant around the globe.

MC National Alumni Association officials are impressed with Cox’s multiple achievements and his ability to make a difference worldwide during his career. He is being honored as the recipient of the Order of the Golden Arrow Award. The Mississippian is the co-recipient with Regina Schofield of the Class of 1983.

The award salutes people for exceptional performance or leadership that’s truly extraordinary.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MC award winners will be honored virtually at MC's 2020 Homecoming in late October. Cox, Schofield, and other recipients will be invited to return to the Clinton campus for the 2021 Homecoming next October.

Jim Turcotte, the vice president for enrollment services and executive director of Alumni Affairs, says Larry Cox is “a wonderful example of the many alumni who have made a significant impact on countless others and on Mississippi College.”

The 1970 MC graduate held leading positions with LifeShape, Inc., the WinShape Foundation, the Impact 360 Institute, and International Mission Board. "Each of these organizations improves the lives of others and does the work of the Kingdom.”

Founded in 1984, the WinShape Foundation was born out of Truett Cathy’s desire to shape winners by helping young people succeed in life. He served as a senior director of the foundation from 2005 to 2014.

Each year, WinShape awards more than 20 scholarships worth up to $32,000. In 1967, Cathy opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall. Today, there are more than 2,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants in 46 states and Washington, D.C. In August, Mississippi College opened its first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Alumni Hall on the Clinton campus.

In addition, Cox was a former development officer at Mississippi College for six years.

Cox learned how to build and value friendships with people as a student at Mississippi College. He also discovered a great deal as a member of a service club on campus.

“It helped me to be a servant leader during my career,” he said.

Larry left his hometown of Greenwood, Mississippi a few days after turning age 18. He arrived at the Christian university “as a boy and left there as a man.”

MC professors and staff helped him along the journey at the Baptist-affiliated university and molded him into the person he is today. Retirement isn’t in his vocabulary.

Mississippi College was where he met his future wife, Cheryl. She has been “the love of my life for 51 years. Both of our sons had similar paths as they also met their wives while students at MC.”

For many reasons, Larry Cox is grateful to MC for preparing him to become a servant of God, influencing people in 135 nations during 40 years of traveling internationally.

The Mississippi couple has four children and 16 grandchildren. Three of their four children served as missionaries with the International Mission Board. MC graduates in the family are sons Jason Cox (Class of 1994) and Jeremy Cox (Class of 1995). The couple’s daughters are Amanda Hunter and Allison Dolbeer.