Obituary of Donald Edwin Cotten

Cotten, Donald Edwin – on Mar. 6, 2025, age 94, of Bayville, NY. Beloved husband of the late Evelyn. Loving father of Glenn (Susan), Clifford (Yi Wang-Cotten), and Forest. Cherished grandfather of Brian, Shailyn, Kevin, Katherine, Ian, Attelia, and Haichen. Also survived by many loving relatives and friends. Visiting Oyster Bay Funeral Home, 261 South St., Oyster Bay, NY, Thursday 4-8 p.m. Interment is private.

Donald was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY by his mother, Attelia, his two aunts Nettie and Harriette and his maternal grandmother. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School.  Donald was very active within the Boy Scout organization as a scout and later as a Scout Leader. Post High school he was invited to attend Cooper Union. 

Donald departed Cooper Union when his Air Force unit was called to service during the Korean conflict.  He was stationed in Greenland and Hudson Bay during his service. He worked with the weather detachment, providing valuable information for locally stationed aircraft and broadscale operations. 

Upon returning from his active military service returned to complete his education. He then completed his doctorate program at NYU with a PhD in Geophysics. He was a very active member of the Metropolitan Outing Club Association. It was on a caving trip to Pennsylvania that he met his wife Evelyn. He continued with the Outing Club Association throughout his professional career. 

He became a Physics professor at the City University of New York and finished his teaching career after over 40 years at Queensboro Community College. He created an environmental sciences / protection class, designed to as he always said “how to save the world in 3 easy credits” something that is now a mainstay at most college campuses across the country.

Donald, along with his teaching career during the 1960’s, was a researcher at Nuclear Research Associates regarding projects associated with Los Alamos. He later was a researcher at Lamont Geologic Observatory where he was doing research on the seismic effects of solar eclipses and space launches. As a professor at Queensboro Community College he created the Marine Environmental and Ecological Research Group at Fort Totten, Queens with his students. This group was responsible for many environmental successes in the area.

Donald’s love for the wilderness, pristine and open spaces led him to become a leader in the early environmental movement. He was elected chairman of the Washington, DC committee for the first Earth Day Celebration. He then proceeded to utilize his connections with outing clubs and environmental groups to continue to promote the protection of environmentally sensitive areas. The apparent imminent construction of the Rye-Oyster Bay bridge reignited his passion. He organized a grass roots opposition to the project. He brought into play both his colleges and the students from the outing clubs. He produced the first Counter Environmental Impact Statement, a notion that is now commonplace.

His success with the battle to defeat the bridge led him to the political arena where he ran twice for the New York State Senate, nearly defeating a long-term incumbent. He later worked with the NYS Senate Committee for Energy where he was responsible for many of the current laws regarding energy conservation and environmental protection. 

Donald retired from teaching after over 40 years and he and his wife Evelyn spent much of their early retirement years travelling the world. 

Donald has made a major impact on the world as we know it and we are all grateful for his unwavering efforts. He will be remembered with love by all that got to know him.

unwavering efforts. He will be remembered with love by all that got to know him.