Dr. Milly Cowles

Dr. Milly Cowles

The United States Sports Academy is mourning the loss of former trustee Dr. Milly Cowles, a longtime leader in education and one of the founders of Head Start programs in the United States.

Cowles, born in Ramer, Ala., in 1932, passed away on 7 August 2019. She served on the Academy’s Board of Trustees between 2003 and 2016.

Cowles graduated from Troy University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and taught for seven years in Montgomery public schools. After receiving her Ph.D. at the University of Alabama in 1962, she began a long career as a professor at Rutgers University, The University of Georgia, The University of South Carolina, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where she was the first woman Dean of the School of Education. While at UAB, Cowles initiated and directed the Ph.D. program in early childhood education and the joint educational leadership doctoral program with the University of Alabama. She took a leadership role in numerous professional organizations, especially the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA).

During her life time she published numerous books and articles and was instrumental in the planning of the original Head Start programs in the United States.

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Milly can be made at Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation (FEEF) 82 Plantation Point # 307, Fairhope, AL 36532.