Leroy Milburn Cox

Hi,
MaryBelle died on November 13, 2005. I was fortunate enough to know her for 13 years.
Man, did she know the company, inside and out. We spoke for hours and hours while I did my research. She was the one that led Roy to Christianity. She had a great head for names and anecdotes.
I had pictures from the company dating all the way back to the forties. She would see someone and remark, "Oh. . .that's so and so, she worked in the screw machine department. She made the most delicious brownies."
MaryBelle was a real sweetheart.
Mud

Hi Mudhen

I would be very interested in getting a copy of your pictures and any research you may wish to share if possible for use in making a Wikipedia tribute page about Roy Cox.

My interest is purely not for profit for the purpose of sharing information about this great man.

Please send me a private message and I will give you my email address.

Regards Warren

warrenlead wrote:Hi Mudhen

I would be very interested in getting a copy of your pictures and any research you may wish to share if possible for use in making a Wikipedia tribute page about Roy Cox.

My interest is purely not for profit for the purpose of sharing information about this great man.

Please send me a private message and I will give you my email address.

Regards Warren

I do not believe mudhen an send private messages because he is not yet a member.

nitroairplane wrote:

i do not believe mudhen an send private messages because he is not yet a member.

Some of what Mudhen said I know to be true. Hence why I need to talk to him.

Thanks

i think he should join us the we can send him PMs and use the live chat.

Seems Mudflaps has disappeared...

Here in Australia you can look up peoples phone numbers on a website called ww.whitepages.com.au Is there an equivalent in the USA? Perhaps I can look up Marybelle Sauter Cox and giver her a call. She is 93 now apparently. There are no death certificates for her so I'm pretty certain she is still alive.

Cheers

warrenlead wrote:Seems Mudflaps has disappeared...

Here in Australia you can look up peoples phone numbers on a website called ww.whitepages.com.au Is there an equivalent in the USA? Perhaps I can look up Marybelle Sauter Cox and giver her a call. She is 93 now apparently. There are no death certificates for her so I'm pretty certain she is still alive.

Cheers

we have something card the yellow pages in the UK.
Btw your autocorrect changed it to mudflaps.

I didn't disappear. It's been a busy week.
MaryBelle passed away in Nov. 2005.
Mud

Sorry 'bout that. . .let me try again...
http: // www. legacy.com/obituaries/orangecounty/obituary.aspx?n=marybelle-sauter-cox&pid=15828277
I tried inserting the link on the previous post. Not sure what happened.
Anyway, remove the spaces and the link should work.
If not,
Visit: The Orange County Register. Off to the right, select "Obituaries," but also select the "all" date.
Enter MaryBelle as the first name, and Cox as the second.
Mud

i hope, you have the time to be a member in the forum! the reason that you can't post
links is that you have to be a member for a while. it's just a precaution.

Yes, become a member. The price is right!

Thanks Mudhen

Do you know if there are any living descendants or relatives? As far as I am aware Roy's son Geoff died in 1961 but left behind a grandson "Jeff"

Regards
Warren

warrenlead wrote:Thanks Mudhen

Do you know if there are any living descendants or relatives? As far as I am aware Roy's son Geoff died in 1961 but left behind a grandson "Jeff"

Regards
Warren

Maybe him
http://www.jeffcox.net/
Looks about the right age living in Santa rosa California so pretty close to santa ana.

Santa Rosa is almost 500 mi from Santa Ana. It is North of San Francisco.

I get there once in a while and have a good friend there ( with a son on the police force ). I'll see what I can find out.

Hi,
That'll take some digging. I have a picture of LMC with his grandson, but he's just a toddler.
I also have a friend of mine, (who wound up with the best of my collection btw, ) who was friends with Jeff when they were kids. He can be found here:
http: // gascarman .blogspot.com/2009/01/thimble-drome-mercedes.html
If you can't contact Larry concerning Jeff, let me know. I'll see what I can do.
Mud

Hi Mud!

I was visiting with Larry on the phone earlier this summer and we talked about Jeff. I kinda ask the same thing and it sounds like a dead end with getting any info.

Mark

Hi Mud!

I was kinda wondering who you were? Do I know you? Have we spoken before on any other forums. I would like to tap into your brain if I could. It seems that a lot of info about Leroy Cox and Cox history are lost or very poorly recorded. e.g. In the AMA Museum Biography of Leroy Cox even Bill Selzer couldnt say exactly when Leroy died. He said "circa December 1981" when it was actually Sept. 22 1981. Another person who contributed to the bio said he "passed a few weeks ago."

I would like to create a tribute page with accurate information that can be verified. Not just dates and places, but also the hows and whys so that people can get a real idea of who Leroy M Cox was.

It would be really good to get a dialog going with you if I could.

Regards
Warren

Ok here's what I have so far...

Leroy Milburn Cox (27 April 1906 - 22 September 1981)

Known as Roy, he was an entrepreneur, world famous for his model engines and gas powered toys including model cars, airplanes and boats.

Roy's Father was John Tivis Cox, born 1877, died 1966.
His mother was Rose Etta Corbitt, born 1886, died 1960.

Roy's siblings were Orville (b.Oct.24,1910 - d.Jul.29,1979), Bob (b.Jun 25,1913 - d.Aug.26,1988), Lillian, Melvin and Dick.


Cox family photo c.1916 courtesy www.findagrave.com

Roy's first wife was Myrtle Lucille Mack, born Dec 13, 1906, died June 3, 1968. Roy and Myrtle were married on 12 Sep 1925 at Riverside, California.

They had one child, a son, Gerald Edward Cox, born April 8, 1939, died July 23, 1961.

After Roy's first wife died he married again to Marybell Sauter on January 4 1969.


Marybelle Sauter and Leroy Cox at work in 1962 (courtesy Martin Hepperle Cox Engines)

Marybelle Sauter was born in Canton Ohio on May 22, 1918 and died on November 13, 2005. Marybelle's family moved to Santa Ana in 1946 from Los Angeles and in the same year she was employed by L.M. Cox Manufacturing Co. She became actively involved in the company and the toy industry.

Roy and Marybelle's home was at Corona del Mar and they didn't have any children. In 1969 Roy and Maybelle sold the company, L.M. Cox Manufacturing Inc. to Liesure Dynamics and retired. They liked to travel and were actively involved in worldwide church missions.

After Roy died Maybelle continued to be active in her church and she was very close to her nieces and nephews.

Roy, Myrtle and their son Gerald are all buried side by side at Fairhaven Memorial Park, 1702 E. Fairhaven Ave. Santa Ana, Orange County, California, USA.


photo courtesy www.findagrave.com

How we looking? Feedback welcome.

Regards
Warren

Here for those who want some information on Leroy Cox and factory Cox.
http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/cox.htm

Hi Warren,
Nicely done.
The picture of Roy and MaryBelle was taken in 1962 at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Cox Center on Warner.
You’ve done some good homework.
Original research isn’t easy is it? It’s time consuming trying to fit just a single piece of the puzzle. And more so when you realize the piece doesn’t fit, or was wrong from the beginning. It seems like wasted time. That’s partly why I’m so protective of my own work. As you continue your own research, you may find the same to be true. My advice would be to stay focused on the protagonist and avoid too much ancillary information that does not add to the subject. (I.e. third and fourth generation information.) Remember, it’s an appreciation page of Roy Cox; he’s your focus. Whether people like the information, or not, is not relevant. Is the information accurate and as complete as possible? That’s the goal. Everybody is complex and has a story to tell. Don’t expect to finish overnight. (By the way, I would add this: footnote all your work. This provides the reader with source information, which is vital to a scholarly text, particularly when a conclusion is difficult to find. Without source information, your work becomes a high school book report with pictures.)
I don’t think you and I have communicated. If I can help with general information, I will. But I’m afraid you might think of me as a jerk because I won’t share more specific data. Even though I unloaded most of my collection, all my research remains intact. Some time ago a friend asked if I would consider selling it. I sarcastically asked him, “For how much?” It’s all my homework. It represents hundreds, if not thousands of hours of footwork, and nearly $60,000 invested. How do you put a price on that?
I will add, though, it’s a fascinating and beautiful story. In the end, I think many will appreciate your work.
Mud

For Mark – I know Larry and Jeff hung around each other, but I think Roy died when they were in their late teens, or early twenties. The last I heard, and this was years and years ago, was that Jeff was living in Texas.

Hi Mud

I am sorry you feel that way about sharing your info. You probably have a lot of unseen photos too. btw you wouldnt by any chance be user "jreinert17" on ancestry.com would you?

Unfortunately for me, the internet is my only resource, so finding folk like yourself who are willing to help are how I work as I am situated in Australia. It's a bit hard for me to go to the local library or talk to people who knew the Cox family.

But thank you anyway for your feedback. btw I do have all the references to the data, I just didn't post that here on the forum, I will post the references later when I fomalise the article.

Thank you

Warren,

That is nice work! The history and manufacturing legacy of this company, and its founder, is extremely interesting.

Regards, Matt