He was the first African-American student admitted to the college during the Civil Rights Movement.
At Rollins, Cox saw himself as a pioneer, beginning a new chapter in the history of the school, which was founded in 1885.
His mother, head of Economic Opportunity, Inc., ran 14 preschools for children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Cox had three younger siblings, all of whom attended school: his brother Alfred enrolled in Columbia Union College (now Washington Adventist University).
In 1971, he made an address to a crowd on how happy he was to see formerly impossible developments become reality.