Gloria Cox Named Arcadia Citizen of the Year

Gloria Cox was recently named Arcadia Citizen of the year for 2019. – Courtesy photo / Arcadia Chamber of Commerce

As an Arcadia resident for over 40 years, Gloria Cox is committed to community service and volunteerism. For nearly 15 years, Cox has volunteered with the Los Angeles (LA) County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, helping it a welcoming public garden and educational resource for the 600,000+ annual visitors that includes 17,000 students, the majority from Title I schools. This June, Cox will be completing a two-year term as President of the Arboretum’s Volunteer Group – Los Voluntarios, whose 350 active members collectively perform 39,000 hours of service for the 127-acre Arboretum.

Under Cox’s leadership, Los Voluntarios has thrived, enhancing the visitor experience and providing essential support services to all facets of the Arboretum’s operations from serving as docents for student and adult tours, volunteering with the horticulture staff in the garden, plant propagation, historic preservation, library, gift shop, administrative support, providing visitor hospitality on the Arboretum’s monthly admission-free days, and so much more. In addition to her leadership role, Bio personally held many of these vital volunteer roles, bringing her ready smile and positive energy to everyone she meets. The Arboretum is forever grateful to Cox for her dedicated service and ongoing support.  Continuing her volunteerism to the broader community, Cox also volunteers at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino as a School Art Docent and Adult Tour Docent.

With Master’s Degrees in Mathematics and Education, Cox has been a lifelong educator as a math teacher, school principal and in numerous district administrative positions including Director of Instruction, Operations and Administrative Consultant, in the Superintendent’s Office of the LA Unified School District prior to her 2001 retirement. She and her husband Chris raised their two children, Michelle and Chris in Arcadia where they both attended Arcadia schools. Cox’s grandsons Wyatt and Maverick both attended Arboretum summer camps as youngsters, and as teenagers they volunteered as Arboretum camp counselors and for other youth events.

The city of Arcadia and the Arboretum are fortunate to have a resident and volunteer like Cox. She is positive, creative, and collaborative. She leads by example and dedicates so much of her time and commitment to the Arboretum so it can serve Arcadia residents and Southern California.